Chapter 11
Lost In The Mist © 2015 Sinclair Diavante
Chapter 11.
"Keman." A distant, deep voice. "Keeeeman." I struggled to wake up, but everything felt too fuzzy, I couldn't tell which direction was up. I felt giddy, happy. That was Sin's voice. I was so happy to hear him, but the edges of something highly distressing pricked at my mind, I must have been having a nightmare.
"I fixed your teeth, you should thank me, I know they must have hurt." Buh? I opened my eyes; and the nightmare became real as I stared at Mist. I was lying on my back, I turned my head sideways and glanced at the surface of the bed right next me. I saw several chrome steel tools, one that looked like narrow pliers. Four small white teeth still attached to their bloody roots sat discarded in a tray. The muzzle was tight around my jaws, I couldn't smell through it, so my taste was absent, but the watery feeling on my tongue was probably my blood, and the pain in my front nibbling teeth was gone.
So were they.
The tube passed through the resulting opening, and now I understood just how permanent everything really was. My ears shook from being held so flat.
"Finally starting to understand things?" He shook the steel braided hose leading to my head. "I can feed you any number of substances and drugs through this directly into your stomach. Your days of eating and drinking are over, so nothing need ever come from here-" He shoved a finger up against my asshole, my body stiffened up. "Except for what I put up there, so we'll clean you out on occasion. Let's get rid of what's left up there right now, shall we?" I stared in horror, wondering what else he had done while I was unconscious.
"No, nothing like that. You'll always be awake when I'm under your tail, trust Mist on that fact." He disconnected the hose from my prick and shoved it under my tail, forcing its narrow tip inside. I felt pain slowly build as it expanded, locking tight with a lot of pressure against my prostate. Cold water flowed inside, along with the catheter; I felt the watery bubble pass deeper into my intestines, one section at a time. A sharp pain with a small vibration as it was sucked back out. He repeated the process a second time, then deflated the tip and pulled it free, coiling it up at the end of the bed.
"And just like that, you're completely clean, and now you'll always be ready. I don't like shit on my dick. Let's see what all you're made of." I kept drifting off, the painkillers he had fed me were mixing with the gas, and with the exception of when he spoke, time had no meaning. He snapped his fingers in front of my eyes.
"Hey! Wake up!" I felt something else under my tail now, his fingers. "Squeeze down as hard as you can. Show Mist what you can do." Whatever.
Suddenly, I couldn't breathe.
"I said. Show. Mist. What you can do." I blinked, realizing his eyes were just inches from mine. I clenched down on his fingers, my tail twitching. Mist shook his head.
"Harder." I still couldn't breathe. Fuck! I clenched down harder.
"That's the best you can do?" I still couldn't breathe! "Harder, I like a lot of pressure behind my knot. Either you show me what you can do, or I see how long it takes for you to pass out from a lack of air." I clenched down as hard as I could, using my leg and tail muscles to squeeze as tight as possible. Holy fuck, I can't breathe!
Mist shook his head and yanked his fingers free. "Pathetic." I suddenly drew a deep breath through my nose. "Absolutely pathetic. That's next on my list of things we need to change in your body. I won't be happy until you can almost break my fingers, Keman. I've got something that will help you with that, and as soon as we get back, it goes in and stays in."
Mist slapped down a canine dildo next to my head, making the bed shake. I stared, it looked real, all the way down to the blood vessels, it was shiny and smooth. It had a short, narrow base behind the knot, which was uninflated. The base was metal, and had several winking status lights.
"The only difference between it and me is the size of the knot. I am much bigger. I don't want to stretch you out, it's just big enough to keep itself in. Once this is locked in you, it stays in until I'm satisfied with your strength. In the weeks to come..." He paused, to let the thought drive home, continuing only after my eyes grew wide. "Whenever you're conscious, it will require you to clench down on it as hard as you can, frequently, if you want to breathe." He smiled.
"We'll strengthen that ass of yours, oh yes. That's going to be your only concern. You don't have to worry about eating, or shitting, or pissing. I'll keep you so high, the days will fly right by. When I'm done with you, you'll know only one pleasure, and that's making me feel good. I will teach you how, and you will learn."
Mist crossed his arms. "First, though, we need to figure out what's wrong with your collar. So far, I've been highly impressed with your attitude." Words I really didn't want to hear. "I can tell you've had a lot of training with one, already. That's what you recognized. Isn't it." It wasn't a question.
I stared at him, and then looked away.
"Yep. What a good boy I have! I'm dying to know who your previous owner was. I doubt you'd tell me, not that you can speak, but I have ways around both aspects.
"For now, I'll spare you the torture of extracting such information. Once your Mark 6 is working, it'll pave the way to a smooth acceptance of me as your owner, and along with that, comes everything I want to know. Everything."
He tossed a coiled up leash at me, it bounced off my side. A small chunk of metal rolled free from it.
"Time to go for a walk." He reached forward and disengaged the braided hose from my muzzle. I couldn't breathe, again, but there was something else, nagging at me.
I was disappointed at the hose's detachment.
I didn't like the gas.
I wasn't enjoying its effects.
Lies.
That told me everything I needed to know about my growing addiction. Still, I couldn't breathe, and that was an addiction which would never go away.
Mist took the round piece of metal and clicked it onto the front of the muzzle. I was able to draw in a deep breath of normal air through my nose, now. I took in the scents of my surroundings, noting his pleasure ripe in the air. I hated that this was a new functionality, it meant that I could wear the muzzle elsewhere. It meant I could, and probably would, wear it almost always.
He held the end of the leash towards me. "Clip it to your muzzle, Keman. "
I stared. If he wanted it hooked up, he could fucking do it himself. I pretended not to hear, you're not so in control when I'm not hooked up to your system. The drugs had my mind in a state where nothing was serious, I laughed inside.
Mist flattened his ears. "Oh. You want to be stubborn. Good, good. Better to get this over with indoors, where people can't see. And here I was, waiting for an excuse to teach you your next lesson. You think because your collar doesn't work, and you're not hooked to the system, I can't punish you? "
I finished exhaling, went to inhale, but couldn't. I wasn't hooked up, but he must have control over the metal block stuck to the muzzle. I reached up and tried pulling it off, disengaging it, prying my claws into it. I had almost no air left in my lungs. That meant panic would start only inches from my eyes, this time.
I let out a sharp whimper on reflex, and discovered that it would still let me exhale, but not bring any more air in. I realized how cruel that was, my eyes opened wide, yet what I could see only shrank as my heart started to race. I slowly brushed my hands over the muzzle, desperately wanting to try pulling it off, but I knew down that path lay insanity.
I looked around, hysterically trying to think of what to do. I should beg, plead.
The euphoria I had felt earlier was gone.
I had only seconds.
My lungs were nearly empty.
I shut my eyes and told myself no. No! Dog, no. Fight it. Fight it!
I lunged at the leash he was holding, and clipped the end onto the "D" ring, under my chin. It beeped after I snapped the weird looking hasp onto it, it was electronic and probably locked. I jumped off the bed and hugged the floor, craning my neck to stare up at Mist, holding completely still. I knew my pupils were big by how bright the room had become.
Mist shrugged. "Hmm. I think you've got a few minutes left, to work out what I want to see." Minutes? I had only seconds! I rolled over onto my back, and stretched my neck out, baring it to him. I would have peed myself, if I could.
"I see you, but I can't hear you. I wonder if I overestimated your intelligence."
I had only a tiny bit of air left in my lungs. If I used that for anything, and lost it... I would freak out, that's all there was to it. But, I was already starting to panic. So I fucking whimpered, loudly, for as long as I could. Every. Last. Bit. Of air came out with it. I paused, tightening my eyes shut, and drew in a deep breath, my body shook in fear.
This can't be happening, that didn't just happen. My sanity had hung on a string for a moment, and now I have it back. It almost broke, I almost broke...
Mist reached down and rubbed my throat, above my collar, with his claws. My body stiffened, it did not feel good.
"Yes. This is all real, Keman. I know that right now you're wondering if it is, so I'm here to say: Yes. That did just happen. And it'll happen again, and I'll take you so much further.
"I'll make you wait minutes past your last breath before I give you another. And I'll do it again, and again. I'll do it until you're unconscious, but you won't die. I'll wait for you to wake back up.
"I'll keep doing it. Understand?" His voice had been calm, matter-of-fact. Now he raised it.
"Think you want to test me again?"
I shook my head quickly, and stared at his feet. My games were over; the air entering my lungs was now precious. I had always taken it for granted, but never again.
"Let's go find out what's wrong with your collar. I'm hoping it's something simple. Then this brutality can cease. I assume you already know how to heel. Impress me with your behavior and you'll be rewarded when we get back." He smiled, all teeth.
"You've only felt the tiniest sliver of what this system can give you." If that was true, I wondered if it was a good idea to earn it. I wanted it, though. Hurf. Not good.
Together, we walked out of his ship, and into a seedier area of Trinity, on the planet Phaylact. Though I was still very buzzed out on what he had fed me, probably a slurry sitting in my stomach, I recognized where we were. The streets were dirty, the cleaning robots had been abducted and sold for parts a long time ago.
Here I was, on all fours, at the end of a leash, wearing a collar and a muzzle. I had no ability to paw myself off. Under different circumstances, it would be embarrassingly hot. I screamed at myself, in my head, for even considering the appreciation of my situation. It was because of the drugs, I couldn't help letting my perspective slip to something that felt good.
Mist wore a pocketed vest around his torso, along with a gun that looked big and lethal in a custom holster under his left armpit. After a few glances, I finally realized what it was. A Sunjet particle cannon, I had never seen one worn as a sidearm. It was very advanced, very dangerous technology. One of the most powerful handheld weapons in existence.
We took public transportation to a newer region, and people gave us curious glances, but they always looked away quickly. Trinity has a motto in common with all its residents: mind your own fucking business.
We walked into an electronics repair shop, I knew that because I'd been here myself, a long time ago.
Oh, Dog.
Phyx's Phyxation & Repair was packed with both new and used appliances, and all sorts of electronic goodies. The steel roll-up shutter in the front was only open three-quarters of the way. The windows were probably shielded, the shutter was ancient and heavily rusted. I had previously sourced unlicensed network interfaces from PP&R. I always figured Phyx sold other things, maybe like what was around my neck. Now I knew.
Mist nodded at the guy behind the counter, a black Mastiff Rhenthar, he nodded back. We walked around it to the back room.
Phyx glanced up from something he was soldering. He came from Rottweiler genetics, but was small for the breed, he had slender surgeon's hands. He set down the soldering iron onto a small holder, and stood up from the chair he was sitting on.
"All right, Mist. Let's see this malfunctioning col--" his words cut off when he saw me. I stared back at him and looked away, feeling a combination of embarrassment and frustration. He really wasn't the kind of person I could ask for help. Besides, I had no way to communicate to him. His scent turned into cautious amusement.
Mist stared back and forth between the two of us, and pulled my leash closer. I sat at his feet, while he clipped my leash to his vest.
"You two have already met. Interesting. Is this going to be a problem, Phyx?"
He shook his head. "No problem. I've done business with... Keman... in the past. I'm just a little surprised, is all. However, since he doesn't owe me any credits, he's not really a concern of mine. Is his team aware of this, ah, arrangement?"
"Team?" Mist narrowed his eyes, staring at me closely.
"A few years ago, he worked for some serious bounty hunters. I sold them some networking gear. He's never come by since. I just wanted to make sure they're not going to break down my doors, looking for him. I'm betting he didn't just hand himself over to you voluntarily."
"I'm unaware of such," Mist said. "If his collar worked, I would know more, now, wouldn't I?" He growled the last part.
Phyx approached me and knelt, inspecting my collar, pushing a few buttons on it. I wanted more than anything to tell him who to contact, how much he'd probably get paid to put a bullet through Mist's head, and save me from this situation. What was I going to use, sign language?
He stood back up. "It's working just fine. Check your wetware, it's registered and owned. You're the one who put the collar on him, right?"
"I never had the chance to register it. As soon as I tried, it rejected my attempt, and indicated that it was already owned. Are you sure it wasn't owned previously to my purchasing it from you?" Mist glared.
Phyx shook his head. "No, they don't work like that. You can't pre-own them. Ownership registration is only possible after it initializes on a living Rhenthar. These are anti-theft devices just as much as control collars."
"Well, clear the ownership out then, and make him mine. Obviously something screwed up."
"I can't," Phyx said, pointing a finger at me. "To do so would kill him. That's a safeguard that's been around since the Mark three."
Mist clenched his hands in frustration. "If you can't, then who can? Where do you get them from?"
Phyx's scent turned guarded. "Don't ask that, Mist. You can ask me anything, but that. My suppliers don't wish to be known. Such information is on a need to know basis."
Mist pulled out his Sunjet and leveled it at Phyx's head. "Great news! I need to know," he said, leaning forward, scowling.
Phyx held up his paws. "Whoa, whoa. Look, you can't threaten me, because if I give you their names, they'll fucking kill me. I'd rather take my chances against that," he pointed at Mist's weapon, "than anything they would use. So go ahead."
I watched, surprised at the situation as it spiraled into something unexpected.
Mist took two big steps up to Phyx and held the muzzle of the Sunjet under his jaws. The leash yanked my head in that direction and had to stumble to keep up.
"Is that so? Really? You disappoint me with your imagination." His other paw had been groping in his vest, he pulled a collar out, just like what I wore, and snapped it shut around Phyx's neck. It chimed twice and shrank. Phyx's eyes grew very large.
"See, that's how the ownership registration is supposed to work."
Phyx was whimpering and pulling at the collar, he backed into some computer parts on his desk and they fell to the ground, a can of screws tipped over and scattered everywhere. The guy we saw behind the counter peeked around the corner of the doorway. Mist pointed his weapon at him.
"This doesn't concern you, unless you want it to." He blinked and shook his head, quickly returning to the front of the store.
Phyx fell to his knees and grew quiet. I watched with a combination of interest and horror. I felt bad, like this was all my fault. I should have run from Mist's ship when I had the chance.
"So. Phyx. Where do you get these collars from?" Mist holstered the Sunjet.
Phyx shook his head, tears springing into the corners of his eyes. "They'll k-k kill me, Mist. Please don't make me answer that."
"I'm already here, and I'll kill you in the most painful way your body can comprehend, if you don't tell me. Where. Do you get these from?"
Phyx shook and stammered, turning his head back and forth.
Mist took up all the slack on my leash and stared at me, "pay attention, Keman." I watched. "Phyx. You want to tell me."
Phyx sat up straight, and quit shaking.
"Right?"
Phyx nodded, "yeah."
"Nothing bad will happen if you do." Phyx repeated those words, himself.
"His name is John. He's local, third left down my street, then a right. Last house at the end of the court." Despite his calm words, he smelled terrified.
"Good, good." Mist pet Phyx on the head, long strokes around his floppy ears. "See? This wasn't bad, at all. In fact, we were never even here. You just got curious and put one of your own products on, and you like wearing it. Don't you?"
Phyx's copper colored eyes went even wider. "N... yes. I do!"
"Do you want me to take it off, or leave it on you?" Mist cocked his head, curious.
"Leave it on." He was shaking his head furiously.
Mist sighed, bored. "I think it looks good. You want to wear it... forever."
Phyx nodded, more tears leaked from his eyes. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. This was nothing like what a Mark 5 could do.
Mist stared down at me. "You smell surprised. You must have worn a Mark 5, didn't you. Haha, aaaah. Yes. Now I understand. Mmph. There's so much you're going to learn, Keman. C'mon, let's go." He paused, glancing at Phyx.
"Last chance, Phyx. Do you want me to take your collar off before I go?"
Phyx shook his head, but he was holding his muzzle in his paws, trying to get it to stop moving. "No!" He held his paws around his jaws before he could say anything more.
Mist tugged my leash and we went into the front reception area. I heard a sharp burst of air and saw the body of the black Mastiff fall to the ground right next to me, minus his head, before I realized what had happened. Bits of red white and gray clung to the nearest wall, wet gibbets sliding to the floor, he holstered his Sunjet. I was too scared to even think, my limbs turned into water.
"One less loose end. We have to go back to my ship. You're going to withdraw soon, I didn't expect this to take so long. I need to research this situation further, I have some growing suspicions that I don't like." He frowned. "Not at all. Not. One. Bit."
We walked out of the store, and I saw a Rhenthar leaning against a lamppost. I stumbled when I realized it was Sinclair. "Look away!" he shouted at me. I flinched, but Mist didn't seem to notice.
"Keman... where the fuck are you? How can there be no addresses on any of these buildings!" He gestured around him. "If you tell him about us, we'll lose everything. I can't let that happen. Stall for time, in any way you can. I wish I knew where you were right now." My eyes watered as we walked past, and away. Holy fuck...