Chapter 4: Trojan

Jan 24 2016:

The True Slave

I floated in the darkness images flashing in and out of existence in and incoherent mess at the edges of my vision. With each image I had a moment of clarity I saw my parents and then forgot them, I saw my original face in the mirror and then forgot it. Countless other images floated in and out of my mind all of them quickly slipping back into the void.

I had given up trying to hold onto the images as they floated through my mind. My head only hurt more when I tried to latch onto what I knew was the real me. Whatever had been done to me had locked it further beyond my reach. So I waited in the darkness hoping that someone would be able to save me.

A face flashed in front of me and for the first time in what felt like forever I paid attention to it. It was the face of my Master! It was the face that I had come to love with every ounce of my being. My Master was kind and controlling, sincere and dominating. He had morals which made it difficult for him to see me as I was, the slave who wished to do nothing more than bow at his feet. Inside the blackness I shuddered the images of the pleasure the Master had given me surfacing.

He was still hesitant, and he did not treat me like the slave I was supposed to be. A small feeble part of my mind more restrained and buried by the darkness rejoiced at this. I wanted him to be my only Master and have him use me but becoming a Doll was not what he wanted. My Master would not use a Doll, the body of a woman was not what he truly craved. The control and domination of a woman, the use of a slave like something from an Eastern fantasy.

Reaching out into the darkness I grabbed onto the image of my Master and clutched it to my chest holding it more tightly then any of the other images before it. If there was anyone who could save me from the darkness I was floating in it was Master!

Keeping my hold on the image I focused on the memories of my Master they were the only solid things in my mind. The Master was so kind, I had to beg him to use me and threaten to go to another master to get him to use me. His touches always so gentle in the beginning would turn into rough dominant gropes as he lost his self-control, and still the touch soft or rough would never cease to bring me pleasure the touches were nothing compared to the times he used me though with each use better than the last.

I watched as the Master worked, from the cold confines of the cage inside my own mind the memories of what I had been floating at the edges I waited and clutched at the image of him with it I could focus enough to see what was happening. The Master had not slept in days, his features already scared by the little sleep he normally got turning gaunt. His hair usually a mat of unkempt hair but still clean became greasy and knotted as he worked his eyes locked to the computer in front of him fingers lying across the keyboard.

He had tried to save me, and this had happened. I had done this to my Master, my imperfections and inability to be what my Master wanted were slowly killing him. I wanted so much to reach out and tell the Master that I was right in front of him but my body was locked behind the chip and I was doing all I could not to slip back into the blackness fearing that I would never be able to return.

The True Master

"Marcus!"

Beth grabbed the laptop away from me and I blinked my eyes having trouble focusing for a moment.

"Marcus you need to rest!" Said Beth as she slammed the laptop down on the coffee table.

Still blinking I looked up at her, she was back in her police uniform and light was shining in through the window behind her.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Four in the afternoon. Have you been up since I left?" Asked Beth.

"I guess so." I said I closed my eyes and shook my head trying to get my tired eyes to focus.

"You've been up two days straight Marcus. You keep drinking these things and it'll kill you." Said Beth as she picked up one of the multiple energy drink cans strewn about on the couch and dropped it back onto the floor where I had been throwing them.

"I need to fix this." I said I growled.

"And killing yourself helps how?" Asked Beth.

I closed my eyes and leaned back into the couch. She had a point, and to make matters worse I had made absolutely no progress in the last 12 hours. I simply didn't have enough data. I groaned and flinched immediately remembering too late what the sound would do.

"Can Kate be of service?" Asked the Doll in the corner of the room stepping forward from where I had told her to wait.

"No." I replied quickly dismissing the Doll to resume her stance in the corner of the room. She had refused to sit seeing it as a breach of protocol and as far as I could tell she either didn't need sleep or the chip was letting her sleep like a dolphin or something using only half of her brain letting her remain alert to me while she stood in the corner of the room.

Beth glanced over at Kate she was still dressed in the clothes she had worn when we all went out but it wasn't her. The body the face, everything was the same but her eyes were dead and I could practically see her behind them begging to be set free. It was probably my imagination torturing me but I couldn't order het to leave the room or even turn around. I deserved the dead look in her eyes. I had destroyed whatever the small thing in her brain that let them get away from them and break the programming like she had the first time, and for that I would take the punishment of her cold glare.

"Do you know what went wrong?" Asked Beth.

"No. All I can figure is that her initial error that let her escape them and be herself for the most part was reset when I tried to reprogram her."

"And you can't fix it." Said Beth.

"I don't have enough data! I don't know how the hell any of this works or what the servers they have are doing. I need data to examine but even hooking this tablet up to the internet for a moment to get data will lead them straight to us!" I said.

"Can't you bounce the signal around so they can't find you? Proxies or something hacker like that?" asked Beth.

I snorted. "Sure, I could do that hacker stuff but Kate would have to be hooked up to the tablet for them to stream the data I need. You want to leave her connected to them while I record what I need?" I asked.

Beth grimaced and shook her head. "No."

"We need the data between the servers and a Doll." I said. I had no idea how to get that, a buffer or something between Kate and them? An artificial brain hooked up to the tablet or something to try and get the servers to send the data?

"Does it matter what kind of doll?" asked Beth.

I opened my eyes and looked over at her. "No it shouldn't. From what I read in the manual and in the code the dolls programing is interchangeable the interface is what they adapt to each one." I said.

"Then what about Kent's club. We know he has a doll my friend Tracy." Said Beth slowly.

I blinked and ran through it in my head, it would work if I was able to get the data between the tablet and the doll when he did something to modify her programming. A custom remote access Trojan set to activate when that happened would be practically impossible to trace and easy to install assuming we could get physical access to the tablet. The wireless security on the things was top notch so hacking into one from a distance would take too long.

"That should work if we can get a computer virus on his tablet so I can access it." I said and hesitating I looked up at Beth. "We won't be able to save Tracy at least not yet. I have no idea what could happen if we take a doll belonging to someone else for all we know she would go straight back to them and tell the all about us." I said.

"I know." Said Beth her face hard.

"But once you fix Kate and figure out how to stop them, she's the next one you save got it?" Said Beth.

I nodded and Beth gave me a small smile.

"You need to sleep, and I need to get us ticket to the most exclusive club in town. When will you be ready?" Asked Beth.

"Tomorrow, I can't do it tonight." I said.

"Right it's going to take me that long to get us in anyway." Said Beth. "I have a friend who can get us invites into the main club but not the backroom one so we'll have to sneak in there." She said.

"You know how?" I asked.

"How do you think I got those photos? I was up in the rafters of the place. The club used to be a warehouse." She said.

"Ah. Well that's good." I said slightly bemused.

"I'll be here around 10 tomorrow night then." She said.

"Sounds good." I said.

Beth got up from the chair and walked out of the apartment carefully closing the door behind her. I closed my eyes and leaned over on the couch light was still streaming in from outside but I was so tired that it hardly bothered me. I had probably slept some time since Saturday if it was already Tuesday but those had been short naps that I didn't remember with my undiagnosed insomnia I hardly ever took naps and falling asleep during the day was even more difficult.

Still I was exhausted and didn't even feel like trying to make it to my bed so instead I pushed back into the cushions of my old couch getting more comfortable. I was dropping off to sleep very quickly when I felt something at waist level trying to get into my pants.

I blearily opened my eyes, it was dark outside I had apparently taken my first nap in a long time. Looking through the darkness of the apartment illuminated by only the blinking of the laptop on the table in front of me and the streetlights outside was Kate kneeling in front of me her hands digging into pants trying to undo the belt.

"Kate!" I said surprised.

"Master." She said her voice impassive.

"What are you doing? Stop!" I said as I slapped her hands away from me my heart suddenly racing.

Kate's hands stopped and she drew them away.

"What did Kate do wrong Master?" Asked the Doll, her voice was the same as Kate's but it wasn't her the inflections were off, there was no spirit no life behind the words. I was already going to hell taking Kate when she was something halfway between a Doll and her normal self so there was no way in hell I was going to do anything with her as a Doll.

"Nothing. Return to standby mode. Wake me up at 11" I said giving her direct orders.

The Doll turned and went over to her spot in the corner of the room perfectly navigating the darkness despite the trash on the floor. She seemed to have perfect spatial awareness although I hadn't tested her abilities to confirm it but it made sense she was more computer then human at this point. I shook my head, whatever kind of man needed to pay millions for a women who would act like the doll Kate was at the moment was no man and was only out for the physical gratification.

It was probably a little hypocritical but then I really didn't equate what I had with Kate to her obeying me and being a Doll. When Kate first stumbled into my apartment she was confused and disoriented trying to make sense of everything that had happened to her. They had rewritten her brain for god's sake that was something straight out of a sci-fi! She had begged me to be her Master just to satisfy the programming in her chip so she wouldn't go running off looking for another man to take that place. I had let her convince me to have sex with her just because I was lonely, if I were a better man I would have not let that happen despite her begging.

Still I was fighting and working to bring that Kate back, and I had no illusions that the first thing we would do was jump back into the sheets with one another. Having her under my thumb and even the reactions of her body under my control was an intoxicating power, one that I didn't even want to try and resist.

I had been Kate's Master before and I would be again.

Beth looked me up and down frowning.

"That's the best you can do?" she said. "This is a rich club not a college bash."

I looked down at my clothes, a solid black button down shirt and jeans. I had thought I looked fine.

"I don't have a suit if that's what you're asking. Can't I just be an eccentric rich guy?" I asked.

She just shook her head and muttered something about men. Beth was for her part stunning, a low cut black dress that exposed an ample amount of breast and was shorter at the waist then anything had thought she would wear, combined with high heels and a tight golden necklace around her throat made her look absolutely stunning.

"We're going in my car, I don't care how eccentric a millionaire you are you would not drive that clunker." She said.

"Don't go knocking my car, we've been together for a long time." I said pouting.

Kate rolled her eyes but otherwise didn't comment.

"You have the virus ready?" She asked.

"It's called a Trojan, and yes I have it ready." I reached into my pocket and drew out three small USB drives. One was old, one new and the other just a bare circuit board.

"Made three copies." I said and held out the newer USB to her. She took the small drive and tucked it in between her cleavage. I blinked and looked up at her.

"I don't have pockets on this thing." She said defensively. It was true the dress was very form fitting on her pressing into her every curve.

"Its plug and play if either of us get close enough to Kent's tablet just plug it in, wait a minute pull the drive out and walk away." I said.

"If he doesn't have it?" She asked.

"His phone, plug it into that. It won't help us get the Doll data but it will give me access to all of his accounts so it would make it easier to find the tablet." I said.

Beth nodded. "From the work I've already done he takes a doll to his club every few days so he and his buddies can play with her in a private room." She said.

"So he has the tablet on him?" I asked.

"I never saw it but that things tiny it would fit in a suit" she said pointing at the one on my table.

"And you know he's got the doll their tonight?" I asked.

She shrugged. "He doesn't have a schedule but its more nights then not." She said.

"Alright then let's go." I said nodding.

"Does Kate have anything to accomplish while Master is gone?" asked Kate from where she had been standing idle.

"No, just hang in there Kate." I said.

The Doll bowed her head and her eyes once again became chiseled marble seeing nothing.

I shuddered and turned back to Beth. "Let's go." I said.

Stepping out of the modern Sedan that Beth had I handed the valet the keys she had let me drive just to keep up the appearance that we were boyfriend and girlfriend a charade that we were using if only to justify our coming to the club together. Walking around to the other side of the car I offered her my hand to Beth.

She eyed me but took my hand and threaded her arm through mine. If the bouncer at the front gave us any trouble Beth was planning to flash her badge to get us inside but thankfully it being a week night the club didn't seem to be screenings its guests very aggressively and the he hardly looked up at us as we entered the club.

Beth noticed me tensing up as we entered but thankfully said nothing, I hated going to clubs like this. Taking the lead Beth directed the both of us to the bar.

"You Ok?" She asked moving her head directly next to my ear just so I could hear her.

"Yeah!" I said nodding giving her a big false smile.

"Don't like clubs?" she said.

"Where did you get that idea?" I asked sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes and ignoring me turned to the bartender who looked like every minute he wasn't spending behind the bar he was lifting weights.

"Is Kent in tonight?" She asked him leaning over bar slightly towards him.

"Not yet." Said the bartender almost completely ignoring her. "What do you want to drink?" he asked.

"Nothing right now." Said Kate waving the guy away. He frowned but shrugging turned back around to help the other customers.

"Now what?" I asked as I watched the guy retreat.

"He's going to turn up late, we should hang out until we see him and then make a grab for the tablet." She said.

"So mingle then?" I asked looking out at the throng of people on the dance floor. Letting my disgust at the idea show.

"No we do reconnaissance." Said Beth a mischievous grin on her face.

"His day offices are upstairs, I could never get a warrant to search the place but I know for a fact he's got his hands in more than just the Dolls business. For the police to arrest him it's going to have to be for something other than the Dolls." Said Beth.

"Wait what? You want to break into his offices?" I said.

"Why not? I got you to do the computer hacker stuff and I can get us into the offices." She said.

"I didn't bring anything to do that stuff!" I hissed at her.

"Well we can look through his drawers then let's go." She said shrugging.

I muttered a few choice swear words at Beth under my breath but nodded.

"I'll see what I can do. You know if someone finds us you'll have to pull your badge and get us out." I said.

"No one's in the offices at night." Said Beth.

She pointed up and following it I saw up rafters of the building near where she must have hid to take her photos was what looked like a metal cargo container welded in place directly above and behind where the DJ was. If there were someone in the offices they would have a full view of the club from that vantage point.

"And we get up their how?" I asked.

"This way." Said Beth and she grabbed my hand dragging me through the dance floor. Negotiating the horrible dancers and drunk college kids we quickly made our way to the back of the club where the restrooms were. Still dragging me Beth opened one of the unmarked doors next to the bathroom and shoved me inside looking around to wink at the few people watching us to give a false impression about what we were doing in the closet Beth stepped inside and closed the door.

"The ceiling panels, find the one in the back that lifts up." She said.

Negotiating the darkness and finding sturdy racks in the back of the room I climbed up and hit the ceiling panel knocking it out of place. Resisting the urge to cough at the dust and filth from the movement I Stuck my head up through the opening. I could see that the entire front of the club was just a façade with wall only a quarter inch thick dividing the dance floor to where we now were. Glancing back I saw the employee areas and storage space all of it unfinished with only the high rafter ceiling above.

"So this was a warehouse?" I asked as Beth climbed up after me.

"Yep." She said and stepping to the side of the metal the two of us dropped down from the false roof to the unfinished concrete floor below.

"And he was cheap about turning it into a club too." She said pointing at the unfinished wall closest to us. A metal ladder embedded into the wall went all the way up to the top of the building and the rafters explaining how Beth had gotten up there in the first place to take her photos. For some insane reason I had thought she has scaled up the side of the building or something to get her vantage point.

Glancing over to make sure that none of the employees saw us in the darkness of the unfinished section we quickly made out way to the wall.

"You first." I said to Beth realizing a second to late that was the wrong thing to say.

She put her hands on her waist and raised a single eyebrow at me.

"Right, dress. I'll go first." I said and grabbed the first wrung of the ladder quickly ascended avoiding looking down at the floor. The warehouse was at least four stories tall and a fall would be painful.

There was a small catwalk around the perimeter of the building and thankfully to the metallic cargo container that was the office as well.

Careful to keep quite the two of us glanced down at the mass of people in the club and slowly crept across the metal catwalk. From up here I was able to see into the private room that Beth had taken the photos of people were inside setting up what looked like a buffet table and a few other things but it was otherwise empty.

The catwalk led to the side of the small self-contained office where there was a back door. I tried the handle but the door was locked with a numerical keypad in the wall next to it.

"Any ideas?" asked Beth.

Frowning I ignored the keypad completely, I was not going to be able to guess the combination to that and I had no computer to help me. Instead I examined the frame holding it to the wall and grabbing the keypad I turned it swiftly to the right. The keypad and door locks were new but the metal it had been attached to was old and rusted. With a faint crack the brittle metal broke and the keypad fell into my hand.

"What are you doing?" Asked Beth.

"Getting us in." I growled and pulling at the wiring I gave myself enough slack to work with. Examining the back of the security panel I quickly found what I needed. There were five wires coming out of the back. Two power inputs, and two more wires leading to the lock and alarm. Avoiding the alarm wire I yanked the positive lead from the back of the panel along with the door lock control wire, holding them in my hand I hesitantly hit the two metal contacts together.

The door's lock violently clicked and whirred for a moment before I let the wire go. I had probably stripped the gears or pneumatics of the locks internals but the door was open.

"That's it?" asked Beth.

"I got us in, what were you expecting?" I asked.

"Hacking or something. Hooking your phone up to it and opening the lock." She said.