Chapter 200

I woke late the next morning and to say I was feeling fine would be simply foolish. I felt great and I was still remembering the three virgins I'd introduced to the old in out in out last night. I also had fond memories of laying the pipe to every one of my other mates, both my newly acquired and the old standbyes, of course none of them were old. I had caught Ralph in a mistake though. Shelalliea, at nineteen wasn't the oldest. Dalia, Delia's mother, at twenty-four was the oldest and by the way she had one of the lushest bodies of all.

Still, I'd done the deal to every one of them last night and some more than once. I felt on top of the world now and ready for anything. And I had more to come. I had imposed my will everywhere I'd been here and now and I wasn't through. I intended to keep it up for as long as I lived, or at least as long as I stayed here. We were heading back to our valley and caves this morning, but I would be defending them and keeping the cold cruel world at bay. Right now the women were getting out of the furs and some had already started on breakfast. I supposed I should get up myself, but as I started to I slipped back off to sleep and was soon joined in dreamland by Argent.

"John, even though we have disappointed you lately you have thrilled us again," he said.

"Yeh, yeh. I know, but you can't tell me what was so special," I said.

"Oh, but I can. We have decided it will do no damage now," he said.

I'd heard this before too, but I decided to see if he really would. They kept saying it would be better if I didn't know while lately claiming they would tell me if I insisted. I decided to insist.

"Well, spit it out then. Tell me the deal," I said, and I could tell he didn't want to at once even though he had just offered to.

"We just want to insure you won't let it affect you," he said.

"How can I tell you it won't until you tell me the deep dark secret?"

"I understand, but just promise you will try not to let it show," he said.

"Try not to let it show? Try not to let it show to who?"

"To everyone. To your audience," he said.

"What audience?"

"That is the main point, John. You have an audience. It is an audience of billions. It is why we were able to show you so much video of your situation on the planet. We have been filming you since your arrival. We have filmed every move you have made since you have been here."

"Why?" I asked.

"For entertainment of course," he said.

"Well how are my ratings?"

"They are unbelievable. Your show is the top rated video in our whole network. There were riots in the street when you cut off the video feeds. We explained it away as technical difficulties and within hours our system was nearly overloaded with request for prior episodes. It was the main reason so many of the ones above me were dismissed. Not exactly because you had cut the current feeds, but because they hadn't made sure the network was capable of supporting request for prior episodes.