by ROUNAK PURI
"I'm not a peripheral I'm nothing like ****** printer" I complained. Getting a zap from my pg13 filter for good measure.
"Your d*m right your not. Do you know how much ink costs? I tell you feeding you for life is a lot cheaper than buying magenta ink!" said Rockwood3
"I resent that!" I said
"And so you should, no matter how true it is" said Rockwood I got the impression he was enjoying this.
"It's not true!" I said.
"OK without asking your collar, what is your phone number?"
"I don't know, I never needed phone myself!" I said. "Is this you getting back at me for the virus?"
"Excellent! the words 'the' ,'drops' and 'penny' can be reorganised to form a popular sentence." he said.6
"Look is this you getting back at me for the whole virus thing.. Master" I said. Rockwood ignored me and swiped through the screen to a diagram of ear.
"and the word is not 'getting back at you for' the word is 'punishing you'. Do you know how we managed to break into the world's most secure sites before what you call the apocalypse? The ones which thought they were safe because they were not connected to the internet? Our drones dropped USB keys in car parks of secure military sites. You know what most people's first response to finding a USB key is? They put it in their computer to see if they can use it to replace the one they lost. In our case they actually had tiny computers in them. Didn't take long to upload a semi sentient virus. Then the virus just had to spread and wait until attack hour. Now that didn't hurt too badly did it?"5
"No master" okay I was giving him the whole 'master' experience but like I said I didn't 'do pain' why do you think I never got a piercing in the first place? No, it wasn't just indecision and a fear of holding up queues in airport security.3
"Look I'm not a pincushion okay.. Master? .. Athelue? ... what ever" I said while Rockwood still looked at a screen.
"So Forward Helix Piercing or Ear Weaving Piercing? Your choice. What am I saying ? your a slave you get no choice. One on each side then, it balances the weight out don't want you going around lopsided" said Rockwood. I shrieked again.1
The robot arm grabbed my head and turned my head to the side.
"I don't want to be the next Lisbeth Salander!" I said. I squeezed his hand as hard as I could and it wasn't hard enough. 7
A/N Quick don't look.
There was a line of clunks again as the robot fired a row of needles through me like a sewing machine.
"Oww" I screamed. The robot arm grabbed me and flipped my head on to it's other side. I felt like one of those metal bodies in a car factory being welded by a group of robot arms.4
A/N That's it you can look again
"I'm sorry for the whole virus thing. Athelue" I said.
"Ahh you could have used Ceyalisu you could have got out of it"
"I'm not calling you Ceyalisu!" I said. That really would be too demeaning.
The machine had turned me over and the robot arm was zeroing in on my other ear. I focused on his hand and squeezed hard. Suddenly the burning on my left ear matched that on my right.
"You really are a cutie" he said.
"It won't happen again I promise Athelue" I said.
"Damn and there's me looking forward to you getting that tongue piercing" said Rockwood "and I was so hoping to work my way down your body. Next stop grand central."4
The straps and magnetic locks which had kept me stuck to the chair released.
"Like I said last time. A virus vector like that could have killed a large number of slaves including your self. I know you don't approve of the new mechanical order, which is OK, you are a slave no one cares, but that doesn't give you the right to kill those who love you.Come and have a look in the mirror," said Rockwood.
I looked at the ear weaving too small white dots and one red one emerged surrounded by a tiny ring of gold was connected by a strip behind my ear. The red one seemed to be glowing.
"Am I like glowing?" I asked curiously looking at my Jennifer-Lawrence style ear extension.1
"The top one shows your current emotional state magenta for pain, red anger. Blue for sad or light blue for thinking, orange for happy, green jealous, and so on. They are powered by your body heat. The bottom one flashes when your USB key is plugged in.."2
"is that all I am for you just some kind of stupid accessory?" I said my ear turning red.
"Of course not, you're a really smart accessory. And I noticed now you're out of the upgrade machine all your master and Athelue's have gone" Rockwood said.
I was hurting and not holding his hand anymore. I tried to slap him but he caught my hand mid air with his lighting fast reflexes.
"And I've updated your collar OS. You're on Collar OS 10.8.2 has new punishments," said Rockwood.
"OWW" I said It felt like someone had used their hand to slap my bottom.1
"They are supposed to be really realistic, was it? I'm not sure I like skeuomorphic punishments" said Rockwood.4
I wasn't happy - yet he was right. I had thought about getting some piercings like this, but never all three not at the same time. I guess what made me angry was that I never had the courage to try this myself. Now I had done it I was slightly underwhelmed by the pain. He'd made me feel both brave and stupid at the same time. I'd always thought of myself as a little crazy but with him I was brave enough to be a little more crazy in every sense. And he had held my hand all the way through his large digits holding on to me never once complained however hard I pressed. I so loathed him I'm so never calling him ceyalisu, ever.5
As I did #DEC walked in the room carrying an envelope.
"This just arrived by drone master" said #DEC handing it over.
"I hope this is what I think it is" said Rockwood opening the envelope. He pulled out an ornate card "wonderful it is! Permission for a cyborg with pet to enter the Judas City proper. We will be able to make good on the invite to a breeding party as senator McConnell's guests."
There was no way I'm going to a breeding party I thought Oh yeah I forgot I'm a slave/intern/pet/usb-stick I don't get much of a say anymore. My ear turning from magenta back to red a deep red.
10
*******
Chapter 57/Him/Pre-party party
Rockwood seemed to have a good knack for getting me to do dangerous things I wouldn't normally do. I have had friends who hand attempted to get me to do things like bungee jumping, sky-diving or having my long hair cut. They had all failed. His success might be something to do with the collar around my neck or the robots he had available, or his ability to bend girders with his fists, I don't know. In this case it was the ominously and shockingly named breeding party. I wonder if broodmare's have a similar feeling of disquiet? Just when I thought I understood him, he did something unexpected like this.2
"You realise I look ridiculous don't you? M.A.S.T.E.R" I said.
I sat in the car clutching the printed invite on the way to Judas city. The invite was to the senator's 'Reading club', this was the cover for the illegal breeding party. On the one hand, you could say I was dressed incredibly elegantly for a beautiful soirée. Next to me was master in his perfect tuxedo complete with black tie. I could have felt exactly like I was on the set in a dangerous and glamorous spy film. Unfortunately the only thing that interrupted this was the slave harness I was dressed in. I felt halfway between a performing pony and a toddler with one of those walking reins. I was living in cruel relentless times, a world which would in time lose the spelling of the word 'choice'.
"I think the combat high heels really work well for you or do you mean the bow? Having the bow rather set your eyes off" said Rockwood. "Camera check".
Rockwood had the pussy bow made so it looked like the camera was covered but in fact it was secretly recording or possibly he just wanted me to look like a wingnut. He was clearly up to something but what it was he wouldn't share. #DEC held up a pad for him to look at. Rockwood was able to use me as elaborate mirror to check his meticulous grooming out. The bow
was part of the Reading club 'dress code'. The instructions specifically stated that all accompanying slaves should have their cameras obscured for the 'privacy of our reading club members', yeh right. Let's face it men are willing to break the law just to allow them to openly admit to reading Jane Austen.2
They might have got away with it if they had called it Book-aholics anonymous. "Hi my name is Jenny and I have a book problem. It started when I was little and it's been growing ever since. now my addiction has taken over my life. I tried all the usual tricks to cut down like never reading alone or never reading before 12 o'clock. Sometimes I find myself binge reading an entire book in a day. And when I've finished I start to get withdrawal symptoms and I'm looking for the next book, it's starting to hurt people, I keep thinking the thoughts of the imaginary people, I know its got to stop." now that's believable.74
"Don't think I don't realise that this whole spy camera business is just away to trick me into going along with all this. Highness" I said.
"Nonsense if I wanted you to do something I'll just electrocute you into you do it" he said. Which is right I guess. He did used #DEC and 6502 to force me into the harness. Being a slave harness, once I'm in I can't get myself out.1
"MESSAGE FROM MASTER COM CHECK
It turns out you can send and receive text messages from the collars. These things are supposed to be user-friendly, so how am I expected to find this stuff out? Do they really think people (okay slaves) would be standing around in these collars and then experimenting holding the speak button down for long periods or double-clicking it? Do they really expect us to just discover some vital functionality in the collar you don't have access to in any other way. And it's not as if the language recognition is perfect either so I can say Siri open the pod bay doors but if I say 'opened the pod bay doors Siri' nothing happens. So you really have to be taught how to say something. I mean the kids in Harry Potter get sent to school for seven years to learn all these wand commands how am I supposed to just pick them all up? I looked at the remote control in masters hand(he didn't need it just made him look cool) and said Siri expelliarmus. Nothing happened. It was worth a try but that doesn't mean to say that other commands didn't work. how was I supposed to know?2
"Siri send a MESSAGE TO MASTER: WHY ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING THIS ANYWAY. WHAT'S THE POINT OF GOING TO A BREEDING PARTY?"
"MESSAGE FROM MASTER: I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE DIVERTING"
"MESSAGE FROM PET: YOU WORRY ME"
"I noticed you looked at that slaveipedia page on domestication. You know the Russian experiment showed they could produce tamed Foxes in just three generations. In 60 years they could breed humans who would follow their slave masters around without the need for collars" Rockwood.6
"MESSAGE FROM PET: SO WHY DON'T THE ROBOTS DO IT?"2
"Is that your question I have to answer then?" said Rockwood.
"No, I'm still saving it" I said. "I mean the collaborators aren't smart to do genetic engineering but the new mechanical order could have the Monsanto of human domestication" I said.3
"MESSAGE FROM MASTER: SMART WOMAN. GET ALL THE PICTURES I NEED AND I WILL TELL YOU WHY THE MACHINES DON'T DO IT ALTHOUGH I'M SURPRISED YOU CAN'T GUESS. SPEAKING OF WHICH NOW GO THROUGH THE PICTURES ONE MORE TIME"
4
Rockwood showed me some pictures again on a pad. And There were certain people he wanted to be sure but I met and by met he meant recorded. I went through them each time my collar reminded me who they were.2
"Senator Fox, Council leader Grayson. No one, Council Member Bob, No one." I said going over all 12 faces plus the fake nobodies he had me distinguish them from. We went over them a couple of more times into I got 100% accuracy.
"I have a present for you in the glove compartment. " he said
I reached over and opened the glove compartment.
"Your supposed to wait that until I tell you" he said slightly annoyed.1
"I'm sorry if I'm nervous" I said.
"I'm sorry I'm nervous master," he reminded me.
"Grr. Oh this is nice!" I said pulling out a posh looking box.
"It's Roja Parfums Goodnight's kiss. It's about 90 Bit coins - about 2000 old dollars per bottle."4
I looked at him strangely.
"What does it make me do?" I asked suspiciously.
"Nothing. It would have to be much more expensive to give you feel things like to say gratitude, thankfulness, possibly even delight who knows. " he said. OK, so this was classic perfume.3
I gave the bottle a slight sniff.
"Wow! I'm getting an immediate obedience rush. Master" I said. I knew it was all in my head but I felt more complient.
Rockwood smiled, "With over tones of sandle wood. compliance , jasmine and just a hint of obsequiousness. I picked it because it should technically be the worst clash with oblivion. This way if anyone offers some oblivion you have the perfect excuse to say no. now we must remember to..."1
"Take any unopened packets offered Master." I repeated from my pre-car lecture.
"Thanks right," he said.
I was very nervous at this stage. If a robot caught me with my camera covered then I will be in trouble, if the reading club members caught me with my camera uncovered I would be in trouble. Trouble in this case would be very very painful possibly lethal. I felt deeply humiliated by the harness and the bow, I looked like a mer-poney which someone had given to someone as a overly cute Valentine's Day gift. I think I was more humiliated by the fact he wouldn't share his plans with me.
"MESSAGE FROM PET : IF I GET CAUGHT DOING THIS I COULD BE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE AND BY SERIOUS I MEAN DOGMEAT LEVELS OF TROUBLE"
"MESSAGE FROM MASTER. MOST SLAVES WOULD BE GRATEFUL I'VE ADDED A SLIGHT AIR OF DANGER AND ADVENTURE TO AN OTHERWISE DULL AND BORING PARTY THANK YOU VERY MUCH"
"MESSAGE FROM PET: WHY ARE WE SHOUTING OVER THE TEXT MESSAGING SYSTEM?"3
"MESSAGE FROM MASTER: it's traditional. And no emoticons"
"MESSAGE FROM PET: ;-("43
Rockwood held my hand which was more a way to make sure I didn't open the door and run at lights as much as a reassurance. I was playing the role of slave, but I didn't have to enjoy it. So I looked out at the city beyond. I looked at the thin layer of snow outside like dust sugar sprinkled slightly over a cake. I imagined the radiation out there behind the leaded windows. I had never so desperately wanted to run away yet I was so aware of how critically hard it would be to survive beyond the heated comfort of the car. The car slowed and I could see a police checkpoint either side of checkpoint were large sentinel machine guns capable turning the car into a metallic Swiss cheese within seconds.
A human guard in a hazmat anti-radiation suit came up. The window round down and Rockwood took the invite and handed it out of the window. The cold Nebraskan air crawled into the car like an uninvited guest. I held my breath, I knew the radiation dose was low, but didn't stop me worrying about it. I knew the collars could detect slight changes in body chemistry indicating the imminent on set of cancer but I didn't want to put it to the test. The security guard scanned the invite with a special reader then handed it back. The driverless car pulled off and the window closed. I was shocked by The sudden chill. Rockwood looked behind - we were being followed by a police motor bike to make sure we went were we said. It looked like these collaborators didn't trust a cyborg, I was with them on that.3
"The good news is there's no X-ray machine this time. We are going to a private house so it doesn't matter" said Rockwood.
'That's a good idea. Remind the girl that that every time she enters this city she engages in near death experiences.' I thought.2
"Yes I think my radiation doses are the same. Master" I said.
"look I understand you're nervous" started master.
"Will you get out of my head." I said annoyed at the way he could read my mind.
"I don't need to read your mind to tell that you're nervous the fact that you ask #DEC 20 times if your collar departure plan had been correct
ly registered and that the 4G signal was working properly would tell anyone " he said. He was right I had looked on in mild terror as the house Wi-Fi signal degraded. It had felt like I was in a tank of water that was slowly filling up to the top. Last time I checked however I was still alive so it was working.
"MESSAGE FROM PET: ;-("14
"I said no emoticons" said Rockwood.8
We began to drive past the huge tall towers of the stacked mansions which formed judas city. As we drove passed a massive square spider the size of three floors. It was busy 3D printing another building. Each turn-coat traitor got 5 floors and about 200 rooms each. Except for our host who had a ten floors penthouse. There was no one out on the streets. I guess the city fathers were rather pleased that any hobos would just die from radiation poisoning within a few days, so keeping the city neat and tidy.3
I looked out at the window and spoke "I always felt every city, every place, every neighbourhood has a soul, but this one feels.."
" tenantless. A bitter void within a bitter void? You feel that too huh?. Now pay attention, this is Judas City, best I mean best, slave manners," said Master.
"I hear and obey Master" I said. I didn't like this stuff, and I fundamentally objected to it. On the other hand anything which drew attention to me and to my tiny pinhole camera lens it would be enough to get me thrown off a high balcony. So I was going to be a fabulous slave girl for the evening, 'subjugation with a smile' thought agent '#160A'
It kept offering until I found a way to switch it off. I compared the electric lights of Judas city to the fires in the ruined remains of LA. The car drove straight into one of the tallest buildings and straight into a car lift and we all started going up the floor after floor. My ears popped and then popped again. The senators mansion was the top 10 stories the tower. We rolled out into the 540th floor. I pulled out the small chilled suitcase which contained and emergency blood supply. I check the seals as I had been taught. I got the impression he was expecting to do some heavy thinking tonight, but why?. The only downside was that if this wasn't enough I would be expected to be the live supply. The very thought of it made me hot and weak at the knees.5