Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2008 14:29:29 -0700 (PDT)
From: Pete Brown <petebrownuk@yahoo.com>
Subject: The Instrument, Part 16

THE INSTRUMENT

By Pete Brown   petebrownuk @ yahoo.com

Read all of Pete's stories at
groups.yahoo.com/group/petebrownseroticstories

Part Sixteen

"Hey, Steve!", Jason called out, his voice telling me
how pleased he was to see me.  "You're just in time,
man!  Another minute and I'd have shot, and I know how
you like to bring me off....."

He stopped abruptly as he saw Jamie standing just
behind me.  "Hey.... And you've brought a present!   A
good three-way will make a nice change!  Perhaps I'll
get to do a bit of fucking, for once.  Who's going
first, me or you?"

"Shut the fuck up, Jason!  And Stop jerking yourself
off.  Come and meet Jamie.... My son."

With that incredible smoothness that Jason seems to
manage to get out of his bit strong body, he slid
almost cat-like off the bed, and came over to us.  His
dick was jutting out, thick and proud, and he stuck
out his hand - the hand he'd just a few seconds before
been jerking off with - in Jamie's direction.
"Hi....", he said.  "The name's Jason, but I answer to
'Jase', or 'slave', of course..."

Jamie seemed to be almost in shock, the three of us
all standing there all naked, but he got himself
together enough to stick out his hand and shake
Jason's.  "I'm James, but everyone calls me Jamie...."

Jason looked at me and gave a low whistle.  "Fuck me,
Steve.... The kid's just like you.", then, almost
without stopping, he asked "How old are you, Jamie?"

"Sixteen.  A month ago."

A huge grin broke out on Jason's face.  "You sly dog,
Steve!  Bringing him here just as soon as he was ready
for sex!  So I guess we'll all be having fun
tonight...."

"Shut the fuck up, Jason!  I did not bring him here -
the Sheikh had him captured and brought here.  And
he's not ready for sex."

Jason grinned again.  "Hey, Jamie, you're sixteen...
You're ready for sex... I bet you've already fucked
your way around school!  I did before I was your age,
and your dad told me he did.... A guy like you, well
set up...."

Jamie kind of nodded, but I cut in "Listen, Jason,
Jamie's been brought here as a slave, against his
will..."

"....like me!", Jason added.

"Yes, like you.  But not like you - he' only sixteen,
and he's my son...."

"And your point is, Steve?"

"...that there's to be no fucking with him."

"You aren't going to be able to stop that, are you?
If the Sheikh had him brought here, that means only
one thing.  And he's a slave...."

"But only because he's my son, Jason!  The Sheikh has
this stupid idea that he can capture Jamie and have
him as a slave, as he's my kid."

"Well, all the pups from when I've been studded will
grow up to be slaves.  I thought it was the law here
that the kids of slaves are slaves...."

"Well, Jamie's different!"

"How so, Steve?  How is he different?  He's sixteen,
he's a slave, he's got a great body.... "

I knew Jason was right, of course.  But I could see
Jamie looking so lost and bewildered.  I didn't know
what to say, so I just snapped "Just shut it, will
you, Jase.  There's not going to be any sex in here.
And if you don't like it, you can go back to the
stables."

"You know I can't do that, Steve.  It's after curfew.
Anyway, you invited me over for the night.... So you
and me... I suppose you're going to fuck me as
usual...."

Jamie looked thunderstruck, then burst out "Dad, are
you a fag?  Are you and Jason fucking?"

"No, Jamie, I'm not a fag!  Don't be so stupid."

"But Jason said you fucked him..."

Jason grinned. "You bet your dad does, kid!  And I can
tell you, that dick of his, he knows how to use it.
I'm not a fag, I fuck women... Well, I stud the slave
bitches when they make me.  And just occasionally I
get to fuck Steve.  But Steve.... Well, he likes to
use his dick, and around here, that's mostly me....
Although sometimes he has some of the young serving
slaves in here as well."

"Dad....", Jamie began.

"Look, shut the fuck up, both of you!", I snapped.
Then looking at Jamie I said as calmly as I could "You
have to know that it's all different here.  Guys do
things.... Well, things they wouldn't normally do.
It's like.... Well, like when guys are in prison....
Straight guys, married men, locked away without
women...."

"But, dad....." Jamie started.

And I snapped at him "Look, I told you to shut the
fuck up.  And you too, Jason.  Now I know you can't go
back to the stables tonight, so let's get some sleep.
Move over, Jason - we need some of that bed too."

It shouldn't have taken long for us to get to bed -
after all, Jamie was naked and I only had a pair of
shorts on.  But he just stood there, hovering
uncertainly.  Finally I went and lay next to Jason,
leaving a nice clear space on my other side, and I
lifted up the sheet and said gently "Come on, Jamie,
come and lie here by me."

"No, dad, it's OK - I reckon I'll just sleep on the
floor or something..."

"You will not!  You've got a long, hard day tomorrow,
and you need to sleep.  You can't get that on the
floor.   So come and get to bed...."

"But, dad...."

"But what? "

"Well, are there some shorts or something?"

"Even if there were, you don't need them.  Jason and I
always sleep in the nude -  it's something that all
guys like us do around here.  So you may as get used
to it.  Come on, there's nothing to be worried about -
you're my son, you know...."

Slowly, and very reluctantly, Jamie crawled into the
bed, but he tried to lie right on the edge, well away
from me so that our bodies did no touch. Not so Jason,
though!  The moment I was lying there he scrunched up
right behind me, and I could feel his hard cock
pressing into my butt.  His arm reached over my body,
and he began to stroke my cock.

"Leave it out, Jase!", I hissed at him.  "Jamie's
here, and he wants to get to sleep."

"I want to get to sleep too, Steve!  I've been wanting
to get to sleep all evening - you were supposed to be
back earlier.... And when I gave up waiting and was
jerking off, I was just on the edge when you  came
in....  Come on, Steve - let's have a bit of fun so we
can both get to sleep..."

His hand playing with my dick had caused the effect
you'd expect by now and he went on "I can feel you're
ready for it...."

"Jase - cut it out!, I said!  And get to sleep."

Jason's only response was to reach down and prise my
butt cheeks apart a bit, so his cock could slide
between them even more.  Then he began to rub his body
up and down against mine slightly, so that  his cock
slid backwards and forwards.  It's very sensual to
have a big guy like Jason doing stuff like that to you
- especially as he normally didn't take any sort of
initiative like that usually (he was too intent on
saying he didn't really like man-on-man sex and he
really only did it because there were no women
available).    So when he did make a move like this, I
actually did want to encourage him - but now wasn't
the right time.  And then it occurred to me that he
was only doing it because he knew I wasn't going to
respond with Jamie lying next to me. - he was just
playing games!

"Jase, cut it out!  I won't tell you again:  it's not
appropriate to do this stuff now."

Jason simply increased the speed  of his movements
against me and the power with which he was forcing our
bodies together in response to this.  I have to say I
lost it a bit then.  If we'd been alone I'd probably
have cuffed Jason to the bed and then really fucked
him unmercilessly hard to teach him a bit of a lesson
for disobeying me. But as this option wasn't open to
me I said calmly to him, but with that tone in my
voice that said I meant business "Listen, Jase - cut
it  out!  You're pulling me in the trap tomorrow, and
I reckon a guy like you who doesn't know how to obey a
simple order will probably perform pretty badly at his
normal work, too - so badly that he'd deserve to feel
the whip almost constantly, even if he thought he was
working hard.  In fact, even if he thought he was
working as hard as  he possibly could.  The sting of
the whip, particularly on his shoulders, could
probably make him realise that hard work alone isn't
enough - he needs to be obedient too!   Do I make
myself clear?"

Jason's sharp teeth bit into my shoulder, just where
it joins my neck.   That's such a sensual thing to do
that I felt my cock stiffen, even though I hadn't
wanted it to in order to discourage Jason.  I could
feel his hot breath on my skin we were so intimately
close, then he moved a bit,  nibbled my ear, and
whispered in it "Listen up, Steve - I need to fuck,
and I need to fuck now.  So whether your boy's here or
not, that's what's going to happen tonight.  You
haven't had me cuffed , so you know that if it comes
to it, I can overpower you anyway.  So what's it going
to be?  A nice, slow, satisfying fuck whilst your kid
sleeps?  Or are you and I going to fight, wake up your
kid, and then have him watch as I fuck you anyway?"

As he said this Jason's grip on my body tightened even
more, and I was very, very conscious that his cock -
or, more particularly the hot, moist end of his cock,
was pushing at my pucker.  I lay still for a moment,
and then, almost against my will, relaxed a bit.  As
his cock slipped into me Jason gave a deep, deep sight
of contentment - although I had to screw my mouth
tightly closed so that I didn't cry out with that
sharp pain you always get when a cock goes into you at
first.

Actually it wasn't bad - no, it was pretty good,
actually.  As you know I don't particularly like
taking cock, but somehow Jason was being very close,
very loving, even, that night - which was very
unusual, as when he did fuck it was normally rather
hard and brutal.  But after his initial penetration
his fucking was slow, subtle, gentle.... Utterly
erotic.  Especially as we were both so sweaty that our
bodies slid over each other, and because Jason kept
stopping to nibble and bite at my shoulder and ear as
he proceeded.  Or, of course, it may be because I
relaxed - after it was clear that Jamie was so
exhausted that he wasn't going to wake up and find us
at it, I managed to calm my panicky thoughts and
actually began to really enjoy Jason in this new mode.

I think we both shot at about the same time - Jason
has been holding himself back for so long that he was
ready for it, and I was so totally aroused by Jason's
whole attitude, by his hand which continued to
incessantly tease my cock, and by the feel of his cock
inside me, especially as it nudged y prostate.  "Oh
shit!", I thought to myself as my cum spurted out.
"Jesus fucking Christ!" - I realised that Jamie's body
was lying so close next to mine that he was covered in
my cum as I'd exploded with such force.  Still, Jamie
carried on sleeping (or,  I thought with horror,
carried on pretending to sleep) so I just left it - it
was pretty hot in my room, and the boy was covered in
sweat anyway, just as Jason and I were, so if he did
wake he'd probably think his body was wet because of
that.

Funnily enough we did sleep - I guess Jamie was simply
exhausted by his journey after being captured, and by
the shock of seeing and hearing all he had.  Jason
slept as he'd just had great sex.  And I suppose I
slept as there was nothing else to do - I lay awake
for a bit, my brain churning with thoughts and worries
about what the future would hold, but so much of it
was totally out of my control that I couldn't make
any plans (is this an advantage or a disadvantage of
being a slave, I found myself wondering.  On the one
hand I couldn't be blamed if things went horribly
wrong - I couldn't even blame myself, as it would be
my owner the Sheikh whose fault it was;  but on the
other hand I had absolutely no control - I had no idea
what unspeakable things the Sheikh might require us to
do).  After all these thoughts had chased themselves
around for some time, mostly going around and around
in circles, as they do, I finally drifted into sleep.
And, of course, when you've gone to sleep like that
you tend not to wake up - usually I'm always awake
early, but this morning it was Jason, slapping my bare
ass, that caused me to come out if it very quickly
indeed.

"Come on, Steve!", he said laughingly.  "Move your
ass!  The day's begun....."

Jason was sanding by the side of the bed and I slid
out to join him.  This noise and movement woke up
Jamie, who evidently at first thought all the things
the previous day had been some sort of nightmare, as
he woke up looking very relaxed - until he saw Jason
and me, both totally naked, both sporting our morning
hard-ons as we stood there together.  Jamie flushed
and muttered something, and it was Jason who tried to
make it better  "Hey, kid - don't worry about it!  All
guys get hard in the morning, so stop staring at your
dad and me like that!  It's the same for you, I
see....."

It didn't help, of course - Jamie looked down at his
own body as he lay there and saw that he too was
erect.  He scrabbled around, trying to get his hands
in place to shield the sight of it from us.

"Hey, kid, stop pissing around!  We're all men
together,  and there's nothing to be ashamed of.  You
especially:  I can see you take after your dad in the
dick department!  Come on - we're lucky, as your dad
has a shower of his own and we don't need to join all
the other guys:  it gets very crowded in there in the
morning usually, and most of the other guys are
niggas.... And you know what they're like...."

"No I don't....", Jamie muttered, as much as to try to
say something to stave off his embarrassment, as to
really want to engage Jason in conversation.

"Well, kid, it's well known:  a big buck nigga - and
we have a lot of them here, and most of them are VERY
big - a big buck nigga likes nothing better than to
have a nice white ass, or nice white lips, gripping
his dick!  You'd better be very careful in the showers
until you've learned to take a dick properly - some of
those bucks can be pretty forceful, I can tell you -
and I mean I can tell you from experience!  Even a big
guy like me has to watch his back in case they gang up
on me - as they have done before, and made....."

I saw Jamie looking really worried, so I snapped
"Jason!  Quit all this nonsense, and get showered!
I've got a really busy day ahead of me, and you know
what that means.... And you may remember what I said
last night about the carriage whip.... You're not
making it any better for yourself, you know....."

"Yes, SIR!".  Jason's use of the "sir" was aimed at
aggravating me, I knew, and I thought to myself how
much I was going to enjoy repaying his insolent
attitude with a few more touches of the whip later
that day.  But I didn't want to show any anger, do
anything to make Jamie any more worried, so I said
softly "Actually, Jamie, we are lucky - it's good to
have the shower in here.  So come on, let's get
cleaned up as the day's about to start....."

Jamie went first, but as soon as he was in the shower
Jason went in to join him.  I wondered what to do as
Jason began to soap Jamie, sliding his hands all over
the boy's body and pushing Jamie's hands away as he
tried to protest - and then decided to do nothing.
The harsh reality of life here was that Jamie was
going to have to get used to the hands of other men on
his body, and so he might as well start now with
someone relatively friendly, like Jason.

I called one of the slaves going past my room and
commanded him to fetch one of the house slave tunics
for Jamie, then told Jason to go over to the stables,
get fed, and get into harness.

Jamie really didn't like the slave tunic when it
arrived - he slipped it over his head, but then stood
there tugging almost nervously at the hem as if to try
 to make it longer.  Well, I suppose I could
understand his concern - most men are not used to
walking around with their tackle wringing free, are
they?  And the thought that the loose tunic was all
that stood between himself and total exposure was
probably worrying.  There again, like me he was tall,
and had a long dick - so the bottom hem of the tunic,
being designed for a "regular" slave, did come
exceedingly high up his thigh -  and there was a
distinct danger that were he to walk too vigorously,
or perhaps sit down, the end of his cock would be
exposed.  But I was really tough with him - it was
best that he began to understand all the things in his
new life as soon as possible.

"Look, Jamie, it's quite simple.  Either wear the
tunic, or go naked.  It's no big deal, one way or the
other.  Everyone around here is really easy with young
guys showing  their bodies.  And you saw how easy
Jason is with being naked - he never wears a stitch of
clothing, ever."

"Well I'm not easy with it, dad!  It's not right,
having to go around like this..... Look, if I'm not
careful, my dick head is going to poke out....  Let me
have a pair of your shorts, dad - I can cinch the
waist tight to make them fit."

"Can't do, son.  The Sheikh - and I guess you'd better
get used to thinking of him as 'our owner' - thinks
that shorts are only for free men. "

"But you wear them, dad, and you said you were a
slave, too."

"Yes, but I'm different.  I'm the chief slave - I run
this place.  I'm called his Instrument, as I play
whatever part he wants...."

"Dad, you sound as if you agree with it....."  Jamie's
tone was one of exasperation, or was it despair?

"Look, Jamie, I reckon you and I need a  man to man
talk..."

"We did all that stuff when I was twelve!"

"No! not about sex.  This is more important.  It's
about how to survive here.  You may not agree with it,
you may not like it - actually I'm sure you won't like
it, especially at first - but the fact of the matter
is that slavery exists here.  And the Sheikh, who is a
complete and absolute ruler, owns us.... you, me,
Jason.  There's no laws, no police you can complain
to, no Bill Of Rights, nowhere you can plead that you
were held against your will, or whipped, or.... "  I
was going to go and add "raped", but thought better of
it.  "The Sheikh is an absolute ruler.  What he says
goes.  And that's that.  And if you fail to obey him,
fail in any way whatsoever, then you get punished.
And the punishments can be harsh and inhumane - locked
up without food, caned, whipped.... And in very
serious cases, death..... In a very unpleasant way."

"So let's escape....."

"Jamie, oh, Jamie..... Wise up!   Don't you think that
if escape were possible we'd have done it by now?
Look, we're stuck here in the middle of a desert.
There's no way of crossing it without transport, and
all that is very tightly controlled.  All the slaves
know that they'd be tracked down before they could
reach  'civilisation', if you could call the rat holes
that surround the Sheikhdom 'civilised' - they're
mostly like this.  And even if you did succeed in
getting there, they'd send you back, just as we'd send
back any escaping slaves from them!  And you don't
want to know what the punishment is for an escapee."

"Yes I do!"

"Well it's automatic - no appeal, nothing.  You
escape,  you get caught, you get crucified.   It takes
a day or so for you to die, nailed on the cross."

"You can't be serious...."

"Jamie, listen to me!  And believe!  We had one only
last week - fortunately, they're not all that common.
It almost made me throw up as they held the poor guys
hands down onto the wooden bean and hammered the
spikes home....

"You were there?  And you didn't try to stop it?"
Jamie sounded incredulous, even angry.

I grabbed his arm, and pulled him to shake him a bit.
"Listen, Jamie, this isn't a game.  This is for real.
Yes, I was there.  I'm the Instrument, remember?  So I
was in charge.  I was giving the orders to the slaves
who were holding the poor guy down, and I ordered the
spikes to be driven home, and then for the cross to be
raised. "

"How could you...."

"Because it's my job, Jamie!  I was obeying the
Sheikh!"

"You're like those fucking soldiers who say 'I was
only obeying orders....', dad."

"Yes, I am.  And suppose I didn't?  It would be me on
the cross next, and what good would that do?  If I
didn't do it, someone else would.  So, as I said, get
real!  This is where you live now, there are new
rules, rules which you'd better learn pretty damned
quick if you don't want to feel the cane or the whip."

"Dad, this is fucking stupid, this...."

I snapped.  I lost it.  I'd tried to explain to Jamie,
and he just wasn't listening.  And I was worried - if
he didn't start believing, and behaving as a slave,
he'd be hurt.  Possibly hurt brutally.  I had to make
him understand.  I was so angry, angry and scared -
angry AT Jamie, but scared FOR him.

My hand was already gripping his arm, and I dragged
him back, thumped my butt down on the edge of the bed,
threw Jamie across my knees and gripped his neck,
digging my thumb and fingers in so he began to squeal
- although his struggles couldn't break my hold on
him.

The short tunic had ridden up so his naked butt was
exposed to me, and with my free hand I started to slap
at it - no, slap's the wrong word - it sounds gentle,
almost friendly, something guys do when they leave
each other, like a team gesture on the football field,
even.  No, when a strong guy like me starts to slap
your butt, you know it!  Jamie's cries of outrage and
protest turned to ones of pain, as the creamy white
skin of his butt turned first pink, then a deep rose,
and an angry red as my blows rained down on him.

When I was exhausted, my anger all played out, I
stopped.  My palm was tingling and hurting, so I could
only imagine how Jamie's butt was feeling.  I helped
him to his feet, and we stood there facing each other.
 He looked angry, defiant.... But his lower lip was
trembling, as if he was about to burst into tears.

"Look, Jamie, I'm sorry... Sorry if it hurts.  But
you've got to learn, son - you weren't listening to me
when I said the rules are all different here.  I
haven't had to spank you since you were a tiny kid,
and then I didn't do it hard, as a grown man shouldn't
hurt a kid.  But you need to learn, and learn soon,
Jamie!  In this place men, grown men, men like you,
can be physically punished if they don't obey the
rules.  I guess your butt's really hurting now, as I
didn't have to hold back - a man can use whatever
force he likes to a slave.  I need to bring home to
you that you're no longer free, your life is under the
total control of our owner, and any failure results in
harsh physical punishment.  Next time it will be the
punishment cane, Jamie, and if our butt is hurting
now, you can't even conceive how much it would be
hurting with the red stripes of the cane
criss-crossing your butt and thighs!  And I don't even
want to think about you, my son, experiencing the
agony of the whip!"

Jamie stood there silent as I said this, and I really
didn't want to give him an opportunity to say
something stupid.  So I put my arm around his shoulder
and pulled him to me, and went on in a quieter, calmer
tone "Look, son, I'm your dad, right?  And I want to
do the best I can for you.  But you've got to learn
that there's only so much I can do to protect you from
the world here.... So watch what you do, what you
say.... And, above all, obey!  Obey instantly,
totally, completely, even if what you're being told to
do is embarrassing to you, or makes you feel ashamed."
  I paused for a moment, then went on "Now, come on,
let's get some breakfast!  And don't worry - when we
go into the canteen, all the noise will stop and
everyone will look at you."   I smiled slightly and
continued "Well, who wouldn't look - a handsome guy
like me with his son who's almost as good looking!"

"Dad, you had no right to spank me!  I'm a man, dad,
not some kid......"

"Oh shut the fuck up!  Don't you listen?  I do have a
right to spank you - I'm the Instrument, in charge of
slaves here.  And being a man has nothing to do with
it.  Older men than you get spanked, caned,
whipped.... It's all about punishment and reward here:
 punishment if you don't work hard and obey, and the
reward for total obedience is the opposite - the
absence of punishment.  Now, come on - as I said, a
couple of handsome guys like us will make quite an
entrance..."

Although I tried to sound cheerful, I'm not sure I
convinced Jamie.   But he followed me to the canteen,
where, as expected, we were the object of curious
stares from all the other slaves - until I roared at
them to get eating, and get out to their work.

The household slaves don't eat badly, actually - for
breakfast they were allowed to help themselves to as
much fresh fruit and bread as they wanted,  so it was
pretty healthy.  As Jamie and I sat there munching
grapes, dates and figs - well, I sat, Jamie stood as I
guess his butt was pretty painful -  one of the
messenger slaves came up, and knelt in front of me so
I could retrieve the message from the small pouch
attached to his collar.  As I read the note, I saw
Jamie staring at the slave in astonishment.

The note was very short - the Sheikh's communications
(even when dictated to a slave) - are always curt and
to the point,  and said simply that Jamie was to be
handed over to the exercise master every day, "to
build and tone him for my greater pleasure".

I dismissed the slave, slipping him a fig as I did so.
 The fig disappeared very, very quickly indeed, and he
nodded a thanks to me as he loped off.  Jamie was
still sitting there almost in a state of shock.  I
leaned across the table to him and said quietly "Look,
that's one of the differences here: anywhere else, it
would be a phone call or something.  But the Sheikh
doesn't believe in phones except for long distance
calls.  And why should he?   There's a huge supply of
messenger slaves like that to take messages - and it's
not as if he needs to talk and discuss things on the
phone - he issues orders, and others obey."

"But, dad.... He was so thin!"

"That's because he's a messenger, Jamie.  Look, he
might have to run a few miles to deliver a message to
the other side of the demesne, and the Sheikh's
messages are always urgent, right?  So he needs to run
fast.  So we buy slaves specially for this - guys of
sixteen, like you, but niggas from a dealer  who
specialises in taking them from a couple of selected
African tribes.  They're all very long-legged when
they arrive as all the men in those tribes are more
than six-six, and they're all good runners.  But
they're trained to run for a couple of months - we
leash them to a four wheel drive truck and drive
across the desert:  they either keep up, or get
dragged along.  So they soon get to be very, very good
at running.   And of course the thing that makes for a
good runner is a light body - take me, for example:
even though I'm very fit, I can't run very long
distances very fast as I'm just too heavy.  So all
these guys are kept on very, very reduced rations so
they get to be really, really thin - I expect you were
looking at the way his ribs all stuck out, and those
bones in this butt...."

Jamie nodded, but said "So why was he so smooth...
Kind of all over.....?"

"Oh, that - it's tradition, really.  All his body is
shaved totally smooth every day.  The idea is that
there's no hair to offer any air resistance.  Silly
really - it wouldn't make that much difference to let
the guy have a bit of hair around his pubes, and it
wouldn't slow him down at all. But it's traditional -
rather like Olympic swimmers shaving their bodies - it
really makes not a blind bit of difference, but they
all do it as it's sort of a differentiating mark for
them now.  And,  I suppose, being so very, very thin
like that it kind of makes them look even more boyish
with no hair at all - makes them look as if they're
not mature.  Some of the Sheikh's relations and senior
staff are quite taken with the thought of young boys -
not that it does them any good, as the Sheikh is very
clear that there can be no sexual activity until a a
slave is mature, at sixteen.  Still, they can enjoy
seeing a sixteen or seventeen year old who looks a lot
younger, I suppose."

I could see Jamie looking kind of incredulous, but I
continued "Look, it's very skilful, actually:  they
need to be starved down to a very light body weight,
but they need enough energy to be able to get through
the day's work... But only just!  So they're always
hungry, really hungry....  You saw the way he gobbled
down that fig?"

Jamie nodded again.  "Well, I shouldn't have done
that, really, But he often brings me messages, and
he's a good guy - and getting near the end of his
time. It's not good to keep a man on the edge of
starvation for too long, so we buy them at sixteen and
then when they get to be about eighteen, they move on
to another job."

"What sort of job?"

"Oh, nothing special.  In one of the agricultural
coffles, probably.  Although they can be fed up and
put on muscle, they can never really be turned into
one of the slaves who have bodies that are really good
to look at, so although they're used to running, they
don't become ponies or anything like that.  It's
probably best, actually, to coffle them - as I said,
they're bought in from their tribes in Africa, and
being coffled with other slaves makes them feel almost
at home.... back with their fellow tribesmen."

"Ponies?"

"Yes - like Jason.  He's a typical pony:  tall, tough,
exceptionally well muscled.  He has to be, if he's to
pull my trap all day.  You may think it's easy on the
level, with modern carts with bearings in the wheels
and things like that;  but it's not all flat around
here and uphill pulling is really hard work.  And
sometimes we have to go across the sand - that's
amazingly tough!  No, a guy who's been starved from
sixteen to eighteen can never really muscle up enough
to get into that kind of shape."

"Jesus Christ, dad, for fuck's sake... Jason a
pony?... Pulling you?....  I thought he was some kind
of pervert, going around naked like that...."

"I told you things were different around here!  Forget
everything you ever knew about the way men behave in
the world outside this place.  Now, come on..... I've
got work to do, and you've got to meet the exercise
master."

"Exercise master?"

"Look, Jamie, take care, OK?   We have a special
facility here for 'improving' slaves - sometimes the
slaves we buy are a bit overweight and need the fat
exercising into muscle;  sometimes we have messengers
like those you just saw, who need strengthening and
building up so they can move on... Or perhaps they're
regular guys like you, who we're going to turn into
starved messengers...."

"No, dad...."

"No, that isn't going to happen to you, son.  Our
owner wants you to build up more muscle, not lose what
you already have.  Anyway, we have this facility,
where we can do all this exercising... And the slave
who runs it is called the exercise master.  He's a
slave, just like you, but he has special powers, just
as I do.  So be careful, do exactly as you're told,
and that way there's a whole lot less risk of you
getting hurt.  Just do as he says, and you'll be OK."

"What do you mean.... 'risk of getting hurt...'?"

"Well, some of the equipment we have to use can be a
bit dangerous - the machines that do the weight
training, for example - if you don't go along with it,
they can easily break an arm or something.  But that's
not going to be a problem for you - there's a lot of
expertise in exercising young guys like you just
turning from 'youths' in to 'real men' to hasten the
process and give you a great, real man's body.  No,
I'm more concerned about your temper - you're not used
to being a slave yet, and if the exercise master gives
you an order, and you don't obey.... Well, you may get
hurt!"

"How?"

"Well, as I said... The cane, the whip....  If you
think my muscles are big, take a look at the exercise
master and then imagine him caning you!  But I'm more
worried about the shocks - most of the machines
'encourage' you to keep the pace up by small electric
shocks:  think of them as typical gym machines but
with electronics to ensure you keep up the reps and
the pace.  So don't go fighting it - the more you
fight it, the more they fight back....."

"Dad...."

"No, Jason.  No more time... Come on.... Follow me.
What's going to happen is going to happen.  The Sheikh
has commanded it.  And we're going to have to obey."

End Of Part Sixteen.