Chapter 17

Tuesday morning Matt was getting ready to head in to the warehouse for the day.

He cornered Molly. “We are all going into the office today. I want you and Duchess dressed, but in outfits that say slave.”

Molly replied. “Yes master. I have a couple of fetish outfits from the Sowter shop I’ve been wanting to try out. Ruth stored the fetish outfits she got here, and her stuff should be a close enough fit for Duchess.” Molly walked off.

Matt went and sat at the dining room table with his personal laptop, browsing on-line while he waited for Molly and Duchess to get dressed.

Molly and Duchess entered the dining room, they were both wearing leather corset dresses, high heels and leather wrist and ankle cuffs. The corset dresses were somewhere between crotch length and mid thigh.

Matt looked up. “Turn around.”

The Molly & Duchess turned around. The corset dresses laced up in the back and didn’t quite close, leaving a two inch strip bare that made it quite clear that they weren’t wearing bras or panties.

Matt looked Molly in the eye. “Can you sit in those without exposing yourselves?”

Molly blushed. “Probably not.”

“Could you put panties on without taking the dresses off?”

“It would be tight but we could probably manage if we help each other.”

“Good. Get a thong for each of you, preferably black and put them in your purse for now then get ready to leave.”

Matt, Molly and Duchess entered the Chronos Ent ... warehouse office space. Matt led them to his office where Ted and Sam were waiting.

Matt stepped up to Ted and Sam. “Ted, Sam. When are we expecting Mr. Alkaev and his guests?”

Ted replied, “Around an hour. Tony is setting up in the board room to do a demo of the web site. We’ll also go through the payment protocol and likely you will do a demo of your power. Sam’s people are stetting up in the kennels to demo the pick up and delivery protocol.”

Sam said, “Matt, I have some personal business to discuss with you.”

Matt opened the door to his office. “Ted, let me know when Mr Alkaev arrives. Sam, step into my office.”

Ted replied, “I will.”. He turned and walked away.

Matt sat at his desk. “What do you need Sam?”

“A couple of things. I think I’ve located a good Kali school for Megan. I’m planning to take her and Iris there tomorrow to get her signed up.”

“Thanks for letting me know. I have no problem with that. And the other thing?”

“I called some one I know from that old time Marine family I mentioned that is trying to keep the skill of combat saber fencing alive. One of their men retired and moved out to the Houston, Texas area a few years ago. My contact didn’t know if he’d be willing to take on a student, but did say he’s one of their best. I got a name and phone number.”

“What’s the name?”

“His name is Leonard Nicholas.”

“Nicolas ... why is that name familiar ... As in Samuel Nicholas, the first commissioned officer in the Continental Marines, the man considered the first Commandant of the Marine Corps?”

Sam grinned. “Yes sir. A direct descendant. I did say that the family has had members in the Marine Corps since the Revolutionary War.”

Matt reached for his office desk phone. “Give me that phone number.”

Sam laughed. He read off the number as Matt dialed. When the phone started to ring Matt put it on speaker phone mode.

There was a click of someone picking up. “Leonard Nicholas...”

“Hello, Mr Nicholas, my name is Matthew Murphy. I was given your name and number as someone who could teach me saber fencing.”

“I’m sorry son, I don’t teach competition fencing.”

“I’m not looking to learn competition fencing, I need to learn real combat fencing.”

“Why?”

“My father was a Marine, Force Recon. He taught me some of the basics, before he died, but now I need to learn more.”

“Again, why?”

“I have enemies and I need to learn to defend myself.”

“There are easier ways to defend yourself than with a sword.”

“Perhaps, but a sword is what I have. I don’t want to say more about it over the phone.”

“You said your name is Matthew Murphy. Your father was a Marine, Force Recon? I had a Ryan Murphy under my command before he made captain and got a command of his own. Are you his son?”

“Yes sir, Ryan Murphy was my father. I don’t remember you...”

“You wouldn’t. Ryan was transferred out of my command before you were born. Fine, I’ll at least meet you and see if you are worth teaching. Where and when is good for you?”

“I’m a student at Texas A and M at College Station, but I own a ranch between Hempstead and Brenham. The ranch is very private. I only have a half day of classes on Fridays, how about this Friday at around three in the afternoon at my ranch?”

“That’s not a problem. What’s the address for the ranch.”

Matt gave him the address.

Tony came to Matt’s office.

Matt looked up from his desk. “What do you need?”

“We are all set up for the demo in the board room. I’d like to use one of your slaves to walk through the process for product sign up. We’ll delete the dummy profile after the demo. We are set up so that new profiles don’t go straight to the on-line store. Some one from Sam’s team needs to vet them first.”

“Have you discussed that with Sam and why?”

“It was Sam’s idea. One of the sign ups from the NOW rally you hit was a single mother with two kids under the age of 10. Sam was pretty sure you wouldn’t want to end up selling her. Other’s either didn’t upload photo’s or the photo’s weren’t nudes. Sam’s team is going to be working with those to bring them in and have photo’s taken here.”

“Sam was right, I wouldn’t want to sell a mother with young kids. And bringing in those that didn’t upload proper pictures to do pictures here is a great idea. Do we need to bring someone in to do the photography?”

“No, we’ll be using selfies for most, so no need for a professional. Sam’s team can handle it.”

“Okay. Molly, you do the product sign up end of the demo.”

Molly pulled out her phone. “Yes master. I don’t have any nudes handy, but I do have a couple of bikini selfies on my phone. I’ll email them to you and you can forward them to Tony to load on the computer he’ll have me using for the demo.”

Mr. Alkaev arrived with his guests, two men and a woman. Both of the men had briefcases. They were led into the board room where Matt and his leadership team were waiting.

Matt stood. “Welcome to Chronos. Have a seat.” Matt introduced his leadership team and Molly. “Mr Alkaev, if you would be so kind as to introduce your guests?”

Mr. Alkaev gestured toward the man on his right. “This is Jack Travis.”

Matt was shocked to see a Texas state Senator here, but he managed to keep his composure and not show any outward sign of it.

Mr Alkaev gestured to the couple on his right. “Vito and Ema Blanco.”

Matt stopped time and used the loyalty script on Mr Alkaev’s guests.

He restarted time and sat down. “Lady, Gentlemen, I am a Spark. My power is the ability to manipulate the flow of time around myself. A side effect of this gives me an ability that is a form of auditory subliminal messaging, only much more powerful.

“Several people led me to consider the possibility that I need to plan on a very long life, as in thousands of years, I may in fact be eternal even if I am not immortal.”

Jack Travis leaned in. “What’s the difference between being immortal and being eternal.”

Matt looked at Jack. “To be immortal would mean that I couldn’t die no matter what happens. As I am using the term, being eternal means I will never die of old age. I will likely never grow old at all, though I can probably be killed or die in an accident.

“Possibly being eternal, I had to think about what I can do for a living that will survive the rise and fall of governments, or civilization in general. This is what I came up with, courtesy of a suggestion from Molly, to sell mind controlled slaves.”

“My plan is for retail sales under the cover of a BDSM dating web site. I will use my power to get people with fantasies about being enslaved or mind controlled to sign up as potential product and then use a web based store buried under the BDSM dating site to offer them for sale. Inventory will be left in the field until there is a buyer then brought in for final programming and delivery.”

At this point Tony activated the overhead projector and brought up the front page of the web site.

Tony handed folders to Mr Alkaev and his guests. “This is the cover BDSM dating site. There are separate sections for dominants and submissives. Submissives can sign up for free. Dominants pay a subscription fee to fund the dating site.”

Tony pushed the laptop over to Molly. “Matt will use a script on potential target groups instructing them that if they meet certain criteria they are to go to this web site, navigate to the area for submissives and then follow a link named Slave Pits. The subliminal command script instructs them to start creating a profile and to follow all on screen instructions.”

Molly followed along on the web site and entered her name and some other preliminary information. Then she arrived at the contract and contact protocol instructions.

Tony continued. “Products will have to download print and sign this contract, the first document in the folders I handed you, and the communications protocol instructions.”

The guests read through the document.

Vito tapped the contract document several times. “Surely this is not a legal, enforceable contract.”

Matt shook his head. “Of course not. That’s not it’s purpose. Those who get this far from exposure to the recruitment script will of course be under a compulsion to treat it as a valid contract, but it’s real purpose is to scare away anyone who randomly wanders across that part of the web site and thinks it would be funny to create a profile on a lark or a dare.”

Jack laughed. “That’s brilliant.”

Tony instructed Molly to up-load prepared ‘signed’ copies of the documents and move on. She did.

Tony went on, “The potential products will be instructed to upload photos, preferably nudes, but if they don’t have a way to safely get nudes, they can update photos in swimwear or underwear or skip the photos. Then it asks for information on their family and other relationships, fantasies, particularly mind control or enslavement fantasies.”

Molly updated the bikini shots she had provided, filled in the job, fantasy and relationship info and submitted the profile.

Tony continued, “When a profile is submitted, it is assigned a unique ID number, which the unit is required to know and use in communications with Chronos Ent. After the profile is submitted, it will be vetted for completeness and certain red-flags by the product management team. If photos are not submitted, or if the photos submitted are not acceptable, the product management team will pull in the unit to take pictures here. If there are red flags, the profile may be deleted or simply put on hold.”

Vito asked, “How will you prevent outside interference with your product?”

Tony replied, “We can’t prevent a random attack. The recruitment script instructs them to obey Chronos employees however, the communications protocol is that we don’t ever contact them directly with orders. We have an 800 number set up for product management. We will send them a signal to call in by text message, automated phone call or by email. Then they call the 800 number for instructions.”

“What about pick up?”

“Protocol is that they will be pinged to call in and pick up will be scheduled through the 800 number. Then when the pick up crew arrives, they are to call the 800 number and confirm before letting them in. Is the protocol bullet proof, probably not, but it’s as secure as we can make it.”

Jack asked, “What about the red-flags you mentioned earlier?”

“Things that would make sale and pickup unacceptable for one reason or another. Mostly family or medical issues, a husband or wife for example. One we have sitting on hold now is a single mother with young children. We may kill that profile or simply check in with her periodically until her kids are grown up.”

Mr Alkaev asked, “Can we move on to the dominants side of the web site and the on line store?”

Tony took the laptop back from Molly, “Sure.” Tony walked through and explained the process for someone signing up on the dominant side of the web site, the subscription fee and then came to the link for access to the on-line store.

Tony said, “Here’s the link to sign up for access to the on-line store. It’s deliberately nondescript. We expect information on what it is and what it leads to to be passed through the community of potential buyers by word of mouth.” Tony clicked on the link and the subscription payment screen came up.

Jack said, “A thousand dollars a year? Why so much.

Matt responded, “I don’t want to make it too high, but at the same time, I want to mostly keep people who couldn’t afford to drop a quarter of a million dollars on a slave off the store. It’s more keeping away people who randomly come across something trying to hide in plain sight.”

“That makes sense. And not many law enforcement agencies will authorize that kind of expense unless they already have a lot on you.”

Tony backed out of the subscription page and signed on to the store with a prepared ID. The store came up showing available products.

Vito asked, “Are these all real, or dummy profiles you set up for this demo.”

“They are real. We had two women do a complete sign up at random while doing early testing of the Slave Pits. Both were pulled in to see why and do initial programming that would otherwise be in the recruitment script. One of those got pulled out as Ted selected her as his signing bonus. Matt did an initial test hitting several classes at Texas A and M in College station. That netted twenty one units. Matt hit a NOW rally and a shopping center last Friday which netted another twenty units from the NOW rally and 30 units from the mall, though several are on hold to be pulled in for photos and several more were red-flagged, one of which we will probably delete.”

Mr Alkaev laughed. “A NOW rally, why would to try to recruit from a NOW rally?”

Matt explained about Professor Rhon and the line about militant feminists being submissives hiding from their true selves.

Tony said, “We have a promo code built into the product sign up that we can use to track specific batches. When Matt did the initial test at the University, he hit several classes each with a separate promo code. Interestingly we got a significantly higher sign up rate out of a pair of gender studies classes than from any other subject. We decided that there might be something to Matt’s theory about militant feminists, so we decided to test it. We got more units from the mall, but more were exposed, the response rate was better from the NOW rally”

Mr Alkaev laughed. “That’s just...”

Vito asked, “Can we go through the purchase process?”

Tony turned the laptop he was using around and pushed it over to Vito. “Sure, pick a unit.”

Vito browsed through the available units. “You have men in inventory?”

Matt replied “Sure. My younger Sister is a dominant female. She requested I make the recruitment script gender neutral so we would have a few boy toys for dominant women.”

Vito continued browsing. He settled on an African American woman. He clicked on the purchase button. Another page came up. It listed base programming for $250,000 with a choice of carrot or stick. Then there was a text box to add custom commands at $5,000 apiece.

Vito asked, “What’s this carrot or stick thing?”

Matt replied, “I put a bit of thought and help from someone with some knowledge of psychology to create two enslavement scripts, one built on rewards and one built on punishments. The intent is to bind the subject as a slave without turning them into an automaton. There should be a link there to detail the two scripts. Care should be taken with custom commands as poorly worded or conflicting commands could compromise the slave’s mental health.”

Vito brought up the description of the two scripts.

Jack looked at the projection on the wall. “Genius, pure genius. Though, what stops a slave given the stick script from committing suicide?”

“The no escape clause. Suicide would be a form of escape.”

Vito closed the descriptions of the base script, left the default choice of the carrot script alone and skipped past the custom commands. Next was a series of check boxes for optional skill training with prices and time lines for each skill. He skipped past those as well. He came to fields to enter a delivery address which he filled out and clicked on the confirm sale button. Instead of a page asking for payment, it dropped back to the store page with that unit marked as sale pending.

Vito asked, “How is payment handled?”

Tony said, “It’s too much for people to pay by credit card on-line, which would also be traceable. The account that makes the purchase will be sent an email with instructions for making payment. Pass back the laptop and I’ll bring up the email and let Matilda describe the process.”

Vito passed the email back to Tony. Tony brought up his email and showed the payment details email.

Matilda said, “We have an arrangement for escrows with a bank in the Cayman Islands. When you confirm the purchase, a request is sent to that bank which automatically generates an anonymous escrow account unique to the transaction. The bank sends that information to us and an email is sent to the listed email address for the account that made the purchase. The email contains codes you can use to transfer funds to the escrow account. Those codes will not work for transfers out of the escrow account. When the funds in the amount of the purchase have been deposited in the escrow account, we get notified and the unit changes from sale pending to sold.”

Sam said, “At that point, the unit is pinged to call in to arrange pick up for processing and delivery. The delivery crew will have tablet computers and you will be asked to sign a confirmation of delivery.”

Matilda continued, “The confirmation of delivery is sent to the escrow bank which then transfers the funds to one of our corporate accounts and closes the escrow account. The escrow bank has no knowledge of the nature of the product being sold.”

Vito nodded. “Sounds like a secure process. What if delivery can’t be made?”

Matilda replied, “If for some reason a specific unit can’t be delivered, we will notify the escrow bank, the sale will be canceled and the buyer will receive another email with codes and instructions for transferring the funds back to the buyer’s own accounts.”

Jack asked, “What’s the delivery process?”

Sam responded, “We are currently only set up for delivery in the Continental US and parts of Alaska. Delivery outside of the US is possible but more complicated as we will have to secure a passport for the unit and it will create a record of the unit leaving the US. The unit will be packed into a delivery van, and then delivered to the address specified. We have arranged for a more detailed demonstration of the delivery process down in the kennels after we are done here.”

Mr Alkaev said, “I believe that there was an agreement that Mr Murphy would demonstrate his mind-control.”

Jack and Vito nodded. Vito passed a folded piece of paper to Matt.

Matt opened the paper, it was a note from Vito asking Matt to make sure his wife couldn’t fight, leave or speak until further notice.

Matt stopped time and used the interrogations script on Ema with an additional command that she not speak at all except to answer questions directed specifically to her.

Matt restarted time. “Okay, Ema won’t be able to get out of her char, try to draw attention to herself, or speak except to answer questions addressed to her.”

Vito spoke, “My wife is a problem. I’ve been forced to just by the dregs of Mr Alkaev’s product line. Girls destined for foreign brothels or snuff film producers. Why? Because my wife hurts them, badly enough to cripple them to the point they have to be put down if she doesn’t just kill them herself. At first they lasted a couple of years. That was supportable with quality product. Then it was months. The last one only lasted two weeks. I’ve had enough, but I can’t divorce my wife because she knows too many of my secrets and I can’t have her killed for other reasons. I want access to quality slaves but my wife needs to be made to stop first.”

Ema stared at her husband, but she sat silently in her chair as her body trembled. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

Vito stared back at Ema. “She hasn’t left, no histrionics, this is already impressive.”

Matt rolled his eyes and sighed. “Ema, why are you crying.”

“Because you and Vito are going to try to punish me.”

“That remains to be seen, but if it happens there will be no try about it. Is what Vito said true, have you deliberately crippled or killed slaves or anyone else?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I enjoy it. I enjoy their suffering. I enjoy watching the hope die in their eyes when they realize that there is no hope, that the only way their suffering will end is when I grow tired of it and decide to kill them. I enjoy watching the light go out in their eyes as they draw their last breath. I get off on it.”

“How many have you killed not counting the slaves Vito bought?”

“Dozens.”

“Why kill the non-slaves?”

“Because Vito won’t buy me enough slaves, but mostly because he won’t buy me boys. Girls are fun, but I enjoy the boys more.”

“When was your first intentional kill? Describe it.”

“When I was 16. A boy in school. A bookworm. Too shy to ask any girl out. I had to ask him. I flat out offered to relieve him of his virginity at the end of the date. He was too eager to get his dick wet to think about the cost. I drugged him and took him to an abandoned house. I alternately fucked and tortured him for a week. I made him swallow his own dick just before I finally killed him.”

“How have you stayed out of prison?”

“The cops are idiots. They never look for a woman as the killer unless there is a jilted lover angle.”

“Do you have any remorse at all? No compassion for your victims?”

“Why should I? I am a goddess. They should be honored to suffer and die for my amusement.”

Matt turned to Vito. “If you want to stop her you are going to have to kill her, turn her in to the cops or enslave her.”

Vito stared at his wife and shook his head. “The first two are out of the question. As for the third, I do not believe that she can be broken to the collar by conventional means.”

“I can help you with that. Fifty Thousand to make her your slave today. I would recommend the stick script, though in her case, I’d leave off the release trigger. I’ll even throw in a few extra commands to make it so she can’t harm anyone else.”

Vito picked up his briefcase and set it on the table. He opened it. It was full of packets of $100 bills. He pulled out five stacks. “Done, though I was prepared to pay full price. I accept your recommendations.”

Matt laughed. “I would have offered to do it for free, but I don’t want to make my CFO mad.”

Matilda picked up the money. “I’ll see that this gets deposited in the corporate accounts.”

Matt stopped time. He used the stick script on Ema with her husband Vito specified as her owner and minus the release trigger. He added the following: If you intentionally inflict pain on any living creature, you will feel that pain yourself. If you try to kill any living creature, try to intentionally inflict injury on any living creature likely to result in death, or even think about killing any living creature you will become violently nauseous until you stop. You will not yell or in any way raise your voice when speaking to your owner.

Matt found a piece of blank paper and a pen in Vito’s briefcase. He wrote out the extra commands he gave Ema, set the paper on the money in the briefcase and put the pen back where he found it.

Matt restarted time. “Ema, your interrogation is over. Vito, I put a note detailing the extra commands in your briefcase. You might want to test the programming.”

Ema jumped up, knocking over her chair. “I’ve had just about enough of this.” She turned and tried to walk out of the board room.

Vito said, “Ema, stop!”

Ema tried to take one more step. She screamed and collapsed to the floor, clutching her right leg.

Matt shook his head and rolled his eyes. “The pain will stop when you stop trying to disobey the command.”

Ema slowly relaxed.

Vito said, “Stand up.”

Ema stood, her legs still shaky and turned towards Vito. “You rat bastard! Why can’t I yell at you. I’m going to get you for this. I’m going to...” Suddenly she clutched her stomach, bent over and threw up. She continued to heave violently even after her stomach was empty and nothing more was coming up.

Matt laughed. “It will stop when you stop thinking about killing your husband.”

Ema finally stopped heaving. She straightened up and glared at Matt. “What did you do to me?”

“You’ve been demoted. You aren’t a goddess, you are a slave. The lowest of the low. You won’t even be able to swat a mosquito in self defense without getting violently ill.”

“Why?”

“Because you are a terrible, evil bitch.”

“You sell sex slaves, and you dare to judge me?”

“If I don’t sell sex slaves the demand for them won’t magically go away. At least I am displacing people being kidnapped and forced into slavery with volunteers.”

Matt, Sam, Tony, and Ted led Mr Alkaev, Jack Travis, Vito Blanco, and Vito’s now slave wife Ema into the warehouse and the kennels.

Matt noticed that one of the vans was in the where house. Kennel 1, on their right as they entered the warehouse was open and a stage prop door had been set in the open gate. There was a desk with a monitor, keyboard, mouse and laptop docking station next to the control pedestal for the kennels.

Owen and Lilith from Sam’s product management crew were standing by the desk along with Ted’s slave Sofia. Andrea from the call center crew was sitting behind the desk.

Tony introduced everyone.

Matt said. “Sofia was one of our two spontaneous sign ups. We pulled them in for interviews. Her father was hard core into male supremacy, and she was daddy’s girl. He died when she was fifteen, and the state stuck her with a hard core feminist for a foster mother. We decided not to put her back in that situation.”

Jack asked. “Is she available.”

“No. My deal with my leadership team includes an option on one unit of product as a signing bonus. Ted, my head of security decided to exercise his option on Sofia.”

“Too bad. This kennel set up looks interesting. Can you show it to us before the demo?”

“Sure, why not?”

Matt led the group over to the first kennel on the side opposite where the door was set up for the demo. “On either side of the warehouse is a series of kennels. Each kennel is ten feet by ten feet by six feet, steel fence posts sunk into the concrete floor. The gate is secured by an electronically controlled lock mechanism welded to the outside bottom of the kennel gate, which when locked drops a dead bolt into a slot on the floor.”

Vito asked, “How does the lock work?”

“Inside the box welded to the gate frame there are three electronic actuators, a spring loaded dead bolt and a spring loaded retaining pin. The locks are controlled from the pedestal by the door between the offices and the warehouse. When the mechanism gets the open signal, two actuators push the dead bolt up until the spring loaded pin pushes into a hole in the top of the dead bolt holding it up. When the lock signal is given the third actuator pulls the retaining pin back and the spring on the dead bolt drives it down into place.”

Jack pointed to an oblong ceramic bowl with a hood on one end set into the concrete floor of the warehouse in a back corner of the kennel. “What’s that?”

“Each kennel has a squat toilet to help keep things clean when we have inventory on site.”

“How did you get all this built so quickly?”

“I didn’t. It was here when I bought the warehouse.”

Mr Alkaev smiled.

Jake and Vito stared at Matt. “What... ?”

“There was a prior slave trading operation run out of this warehouse. They were raided by the FBI and shut down a couple of years ago. The DOJ and FBI sized the warehouse under civil asset forfeiture. When I first decided to buy a warehouse to run this operation out of, I hadn’t planned on buying something this big. I had a budget in mind and this place would have been well out of that budget, but the Feds were getting desperate to get rid of it, so I got it for well below a proper market value.”

Jake and Vito bent over double laughing.