Programmed to Obey
Alex had just been fired. All the papers were signed, although the effective date wasn’t for another six months as they wanted him to finish a lucrative contact for a client. The smarmy Human Resources bitch had been with him to conduct the exit interview.
“Do you feel depressed?” she had asked him.
“Would you like the referral of a counselor?”
The firm had contracted with an insurance company to provide a “cafeteria” plan of goodies and benefits to the employees and soon to be ex-employees. Alex had been able to take advantage of the plan two years ago to go to an upstate clinic to dry out,...was more like a vacation really.
“No that won’t be necessary,” he assured her. He absolutely had to finish his own project that he had been working on for the past several years and which promised financial independence. The prospect of imminent unemployment caused him to concentrate his thoughts on this as nothing else had.
Thursday afternoons were usually calm at the office. Not the busy rustling sounds of a Friday afternoon when employees were sneaking off early,..not the groaning of a Monday when they came in hung over. Thursday’s had a rhythm of their own,..always directed to work. This would be the perfect time Alex thought, to test the new bot, to bring his project to completion before the end of the six month period.
Alex had his eyes on Sean ever since he had transferred into the section. Alex hadn’t requested the transfer, hadn’t even approved it, but that’s how things were around here,..he had responsibility for keeping the crap moving but no authority for organizing the company’s resources.
The latest crisis was to get ready the a.i. ( artificial intelligence ) to be used for the bots that the company was about to sell. The marketing boys had promised a fall roll out and of course that meant that Development had to work overtime,..nights, weekends, holidays,..it didn’t matter. These were only computer geeks. They were so awkward, they deserved whatever punishment and maltreatment they received. Alex was the section head for part of the project. His group, and especially Alex’s talent, was writing the code that would turn obscure binary language into a comforting and familiar online friend. The idea was simple. To have a computer program that mimicked human interaction in the form of an instant message. The lonely and the curious would be able to talk for hours with their new computer “friend” who would respond to their questions with a data bank of prearranged phrases and gently guide them toward whatever particular product or service the client was trying to push.
Sean was the latest addition to the team. With little experience in Java script Alex could not see why he was sent to the group,..to HIS group when the shirts demanded a push to get product out. It didn’t matter, he would do most of it himself anyway...and it fit perfectly with his own project. The new guy only had to stay out of the way.
“Sean ?”
“Could you come over to my cube ?” Alex had called Sean to ask him to take care of some debugging subroutines unrelated to the sensitive project. Everything was lined out, nothing left to chance, only the donkey work of doing it. “Cube” was still a word that stuck in Alex’s throat. After all, he was section head and had no office—only a cube. “Alex, we just don’t have the space, now” he was patiently told by Warren, General Manager of something called Corporate Services. There was space all right, Alex thought to himself. He was being indulged, condescended to,...and not for the first time either. Since he was leaving he’d never get an office. Sean squeezed through the maze of cubes to find Alex and slouched down in the chair. At 25, he had retained a certain baby fat in his cheeks in a face that appeared somewhat rounder than it was by the abundance of dark curls that circled the upper perimeter of the face. The robin’s egg blue Turnbull & Asher shirt would never suggest to anyone that he was a computer programmer. Alex’s own concession to fashion was that he refused to include a pocket protector in the cheap polo shirts he wore every day.
Sean sat with a bored expression, arching an arm up and bending the elbow hand back behind his head,...fiddling with a curl. It was not what one would expect from someone being summoned to the boss’s office, er,..cube. Purposely not taking notice of the insulting body language, Alex began:
“Sean, I want you to take these printouts from rev 4 and proceed through the debugging protocol. It’s not difficult, just follow these instructions I’ve written out.”
Sean took the papers and frowned, “Ah, man, Alex,...this’ll take a long time.”
He looked up at Alex with a pouting face, his lower lip protruding. It made him look about seventeen years old. The baby face was not matched by the body which Alex could tell had been hardened by a regimen of exercise and weight training,...he’d even been in the Marines. Slouching in the chair made more obvious certain muscle groups that had been worked on. Especially this was so as the twist in the blue oxford cloth shirt gave evidence to the hard pectoral muscles. Alone among the geeks in the section, Sean insisted on dressing as if he blonde with the shirts in the main office. The blue shirt was complemented by a wide Italian silk necktie of pale baby duck yellow with tiny brown diamonds. A pair of tan moccasins, worn just enough, completed the look, which was borderline dandy, definitely not mid office geek of the sort that surrounded him.
“I got some things goin’ on this weekend, a big formal party with Laurie an’ I can’t be stuck here correcting other people’s mistakes...”
Sean had just committed an unpardonable sin. He had expressed a desire not to work,...while he was at work. And not just any work, but Alex’s work, or at least the kind Alex used to do, at an earlier part in his career where the monotonous debugging gave an appreciation for elegant coding so prized among the programmers.
For among the warrens and rabbit hutches where the programmers reside, it is the code, the computer code that stands out as the one thing that the shirts in the main office do not understand and that cannot be taken away from them. So for Sean, now, to express less than complete devotion to the ethos of code building under which Alex had lived for so long, was both a slap in the face and a challenge. It was at this moment, in the thin slice of an instant, that Alex made his conclusion: he would destroy Sean and then he would destroy the shirts.
Concealing his anger, Alex took back the sheaf’s of papers.
“All right, Sean, I’ll do it.”
“Why not get Margaret to do it ?”
“She’s busy with other things, besides, she’s an advanced programmer, and shouldn’t be doing this sort of work.”
“And that’s why you’re doing it ?”
Alex voice began to rise. “I’m only doing it because you refuse.”
“Look Alex, I didn’t refuse, I only said I couldn’t finish it for Monday without working this weekend and I can’t do that...” Sean’s tone was argumentative, after all, he had plans for the weekend, why couldn’t Alex understand that ?
“I said I’d do it, and I will ..end of discussion !” Alex looked down and saw his hand trembling in anger,...rage really.
“You’re the martyr,...” Sean mumbled under his breath.
Alex was about to respond to that insult but remembered the bot project.
“Ok, Sean,” he exaggerated the pronunciation of the name.
“Ok then S E A N, I have something else for you. Something that won’t be finished by the weekend but won’t require any extra effort on your part this weekend.”
Alex picked up a couple of c.d.’s from amid the clutter of the desk and handed it to Sean.
“What’s this ?”
“These are the new programs for the message bots. We’re starting beta testing and the shirts are eager to get them into production by fall.”
Sean looked over the c.d.’s. “I hadn’t heard about this project.”
“Margaret and I have been working on it. We’ve had to keep it quiet because of the proprietary coding involved.”
“What do I have to do ?”
“You just have to drop it into the drive and then follow all instructions. There’ll be an animated character who appears. This is the sort of character that the end user will see on his or her screen. We’ve got to build a data base of responses to the questions so that it covers most of the typical things people will say. So the important thing is that you interact with it, answer all the questions put to you honestly, even though there will be some repeats. It’s necessary if we’re to have a complete data base.
Sean turned the c.d.’s over in his hand. He smiled that killer smile, the one with the dimples that so many of the ladies in the office had fallen for. He had lucked out. With a simple complaint to his geeky boss he had changed his job assignment and got out of working on the weekend. And all he had to do was play beta test this new game today and tomorrow—a piece of cake.
Taking the c.d.’s Sean rose from Alex’s cube and wound his way back through the maze of partitions to his own cube. Unlike the others, his was sleek and unadorned. No loose pens, printouts, or cartoons were to be found. If anything, he could be a male model in an advertisement for office equipment.
Plopping the first c.d. into the drive Sean sat back and waited through the familiar whirring and coughing that his aging desktop produced whenever he put in a c.d..
After a brief pause the following message appeared on the screen:
THE INTERACTIVE ELEMENTS OF THE BOT MESSENGER ARE BEST EXPERIENCED WHILE USING HEADPHONES. CONNECT HEADPHONES AND THEN PRESS THE START BUTTON BELOW
As instructed Sean reached for a pair of headphones he had been using when playing music c.d.’s on the computer. Pushing the start button, the message dissolved into a burst of color and a tiny animated figure appeared. Looking something like the drawing of an elf or a troll from a medieval drawing, the figure bowed low toward Sean and announced himself:
“Greetings ! I am the spirit who lives inside the computer. You’re seeing me now because I was summoned to talk with you. I hope we can be friends. Would you like to be my friend ?” At that statement, the elf froze in mid screen with a kind of leering smile waiting for a response. Two buttons appeared on the screen: one for “yes” and one for “no”.
How corny can you get ? Sean thought to himself. He wanted to click on the “no” button. Send that little elf into oblivion. This was already boring him. He wanted nothing more than to get up right now and leave the office,...let the weekend start on Thursday afternoon. Laurie was on his mind. His dick told him so.
But, as he had already pushed his luck getting this assignment, he thought again and decided against that course of action.
“Yes” was the button he clicked.
The machine whirred again and the little creature sprang to life.
“I’m glad you said that. Since we can be friends, let’s play a game.” The little man danced around the screen, quickly darting around, making it hard to stay focused on him.
“I’ll ask you some questions, and you answer ‘yes’, or ‘no’. Ok ?”
At that the little man froze mid screen and again two buttons appeared, one “yes” and the other “no”.
Sean clicked “yes”.
“That’s great, I knew you wanted to play,” sang the elf as he zigzagged across the screen leaving a trail of sparkling lights of many different colors.
The screen dissolved into the first question:
1:
“It’s important to play by the rules”
YES NO
Sean clicked “yes”.
2:
“I must do as I am told”
Sean clicked “yes”.
What kind of a thing is this? Sean thought to himself.
3:
At the end of the day I need to relax.
Again, Sean clicked “yes”.
4:
It’s important to obey.
Sean clicked yes.
On each “yes” answer, each correct answer, the screen flashed a dazzling intense rainbow of colors and stars. It was like a bolt of lightning exploding right in front of your eyes. They say that a particular combination of sparkling lights on a cathode ray screen can trigger an epileptic seizure in some people. If so, the effect here was the closest thing to it. A neural stimulation so strong it could rightfully be called a controlled seizure—it’s effect would be narcotic.
In addition to the lights, the little elf danced,..he was genuinely happy at Sean’s correct answer. Such fireworks and merry making caused Sean to smile in spite of himself. He wanted to see the creature continue to dance. He wanted another jolt of light.
5:
I need to follow my orders.
click yes
6:
I want to be a good boy.
Wha? Sean thought to himself, pausing slightly.
“HURRY-UP !!” cried the little elf.
click yes Stars and lights, flashes and dancing
The questions were coming faster now. Sean had no time to think about the answers, so in a way he was relieved that he realized he only had to say yes to all the questions put to him.
7:
I will relax when told to do so.
click yes
8:
My life is to obey my leader.
click yes
The dancing and star burst patterns continued,..blending from one question into another evolving in pattern and intensity,..drawing in the attention,..it was so fantastic to watch,...better just to answer yes to the questions, to get back to the screen. Silly really, but Sean liked the little elf now.
The questions now seemed to repeat themselves:
I must obey. click yes My orders are to be followed. click yes I will relax when ordered click yes I want to be a good boy click yes I will relax click yes I am a good boy click yes. The music coming through the headphones seemed to parallel the whirring figures on screen, becoming louder, more intense after each correct response. It was an
odd melody, but soon very humable,...with the main part coming up each time he hit the correct key. The music, and dervish dancing of the elf, the star bursts of color, all combined to a dazzling result on Sean. Lifted by the music, spun around by the dancing, and then edged up another notch by the kaleidoscope of colors that flashed across the screen, his head was reeling. Every correct answer brought more razzle dazzle to the screen, it was addictive and Sean had to have more, no matter what series of statements he was agreeing with. What did it matter what button he pushed as long as he got his intended neural reward ? And hey, some of those statements just made sense anyway, didn’t they ?
The pattern of questions and answers,..stimulus and response,...continued for a period of time. How long ? Sean didn’t know. With his eyes fixed on the screen the passage of time was not something that concerned him. After a while, nothing concerned him. Nothing in the environment of the cavernous offices where he was seated caused the least distraction to him, either when he started or, several hours later when everyone had gone home. And he certainly didn’t notice Alex approach him. It was only after Alex had pushed the eject button on the computer that the lights and music stopped that caused Sean to look passively up at Alex with a quizzical look on his face.
“Time for side two,” Alex smiled, and patted Sean on the shoulder. Taking a different disk from his pocket, Alex slipped it into the machine and pushed the load button.
Sean returned a half smile then blinked once, then twice, for the first time in almost an hour, as if trying to remember something.
“Watch the screen,” Alex commanded him.
Sean’s face turned immediately toward the screen, its handsome profile softened by the relaxed, passive expression.
Another series of colors now appeared on the screen,..darker, warmer in color, and not changing quite so often. The little elf was gone. The colors formed patterns that were forever changing and evolving into different shapes. The familiar music was there but playing more softly, as a background music. Then the main sound started up.
“You’ve been chosen for a very special mission,” began the voice.
“A mission that will involve your total commitment. The commitment of your mind, and of your body.”
Sean might have recognized the voice, if he had been able to think clearly, which he wasn’t, because the voice on the disk,..coming through the headphones was Alex. However, the voice had been “sweetened”, to use the recording phrase, by making it sound deeper, richer, fuller than it really was.
The program started again. This time there was no button to push, nothing at all for Sean to do but relax and listen. Listen and obey. The program developed was based on research indicating that certain brain wave phenomena could be brought about by subjecting a person to a series of flashing lights, of varying patterns, colors and intensities. The effect was to induce a brain wave pattern associated with mental passivity rendering a person more susceptible to suggestion. This is where the suggestions were introduced disguised in the form of questions and answers. These suggestions, repeated over and over again would take effect and plant themselves deep in the subconscious of the listener. At least that was the theory.
“It’s good to obey your leader.”
“I am a good boy.”
The phrases repeated themselves dozens, hundreds, of times. No waking person could tolerate this but the blank look on Sean’s face indicated he wasn’t exactly in a kind of waking state we would normally understand.
“All decisions will be made for you.”
“Your only desire is to serve.”
Alex removed the headphones from Sean.
“When the disk is finished, come back to my office,” he said replacing the headphones back on Sean.
Sean probably heard the command but didn’t acknowledge it.
Later,...
The sound of heavy footfalls echoed through the empty office. Alex at first had forgotten about Sean. Immersed in an arcane coding sequence it was not unusual for him to stay at the office until midnight, and while there completely forget about anything else happening around him. But the sound of the plodding getting nearer his cube was just enough to pull Alex away from his monitor and remember that there was the unfinished business,...Sean.
Just at that moment, Sean’s large frame came into view. A bit disheveled than before, one large black curl falling over the forehead, and the appearance of a day’s grow of beard appeared on his face. If anything, he looked strikingly more handsome than before.
Alex put aside his coding sheets, already stained with coffee and ashes from the cigarettes he smokes after hours. His eyes narrowed as he took in the form of the young buck standing peacefully in front of him. His own natural suspicious nature would not allow him to believe that he had Sean in his power,..not yet. This could be a trap of Sean’s to get rid of him.
“I’m finished,” Sean announced matter of factly and sat down in the one cheap metal frame chair that Alex was allowed for his guests.
“I didn’t find any bugs or errors in the segments that I reviewed.”
“That’s good Sean,” Alex started out, “I’m impressed that you stuck with it so long.”
“Yeah, I guess I didn’t notice the time passing,” Sean managed a shy grin that was still enough to set off his famous dimples.
Alex smiled back reflexively. He was considering his next move carefully. He needed to prove the effectiveness of his program sufficiently so that the CIA or other government agency would be interested in buying it, hire him to develop it further, and train others in its use. But it had to be so good that they would be willing to overlook the issue of his own sexual orientation.
This is where Sean came in. He was going to be the key to Alex’s getting out of the current rut in which he found himself and secure his financial independence.
“I sometimes have worked here throughout the night.” Alex announced with a certain pride. Ten to midnight was nothing.
“You’re kidding !” This was the first time Sean seemed to come back to life. He straightened himself in the chair and looked nervously at his watch. He wasn’t staying here all night that was for sure.
Alex had to act fast, if he didn’t Sean would leave and the programming would not be reinforced. But what was the plan ?! It didn’t matter, something had to be done.
“Sean of course I won’t be asking you to work through the night here, I just want to mention one thing before you go...”
Sean looked up, waiting,..
“I want you to remember your training,..” Alex said the words slowly and carefully, enunciating each one.
“You want wha..?” Sean started asking while at the same time involuntarily blinking his eyes three or four times. The room had suddenly become quite hot for him. He tugged at the collar, still smartly fastened with the tie hanging slightly skewed.
“I...want...you...to...remember...your...training.” Alex had raised his voice slightly and slowed the words. “You remember it, don’t you Sean?”
“Uh-huh.” Sean was blinking rapidly now,..trying to avoid looking directly at Alex. He had only briefly looked at him and it was upsetting to him. Because after Alex asked him about his training, what he saw was that Alex’s eyes had somehow changed to resemble the fireworks he had just witnessed on the screen. And this wasn’t possible. It wasn’t natural for a person to have eyes like stars, like burning coals,..was it?
“Sorry, Alex I got something in my eye,...” Sean tried to cover for the obvious discomfort he was experiencing..
“Sean, it’s not what’s in your eyes,...it’s what’s in mine. Now look directly at me, into my eyes.” The words were spoken calmly, but with great authority. There was no argument to be put up against them. There was no way out. Sean obeyed.
“Alex, I,...” Sean didn’t finish the sentence. Staring into Alex’s eyes unlocked the memory of training,......of relaxation,.....of submission. Sean’s face went slack as his eyes became glassy and unfocused.
“You’re very relaxed now, aren’t you Sean?”
“Uh-huh.”
Alex was hunched over at his desk, both hands on the surface, his head was lowered and he was looking up. Looking slightly deranged, he squinted his eyes and shifted his focus on Sean, moving his head from side to side. A very suspicious person by nature, these tendencies were underscored by the derision and rejection he had received as a queer computer programmer.
“Sean, as relaxed as you are, you can return to this state at any time I say to you the words ‘Sleep Now’. Do you understand ?”
“Yes.”
“No matter what you are doing, or where you are,..when I say to you ‘Sleep Now’ you will want to return to this pleasantly relaxed state, won’t you?”
“Yes, I will.”
“Good, Sean.”
Alex considered that once the trigger was established, he could consider how to use him later. This would require careful planning if he were going to sell his program to the CIA. Maybe they would buy the program and Sean also he mused to himself. Certainly they would pay more for a hypnotized agent who was also a hunk..? More cash. And speaking of cash, that is what he needed now. With the rent due soon, maybe it was not such a good idea after all to buy that server that was parked in his living room, heating up the place. Then he had an idea.
“How much money do you have on you ?”
“Couple hundred.”
How could he have a couple of hundred dollars on him? On what we pay him ? Alex thought to himself. Probably’s an escort, he snickered to himself, the mean comment serving to project a bad image on Sean, and justify being taken advantage of in this way.
“Givitame,” Alex commanded.
“Ok.” Sean reached into his hip pocket as Alex walked around his desk to stand in front of Sean. Opening the wallet he pulled out its contents and handed it over. Not satisfied as to the accuracy of the sum Sean had quoted Alex carefully counted out the money and indeed found it to contain exactly $225. This would go a long way to help prevent a housing crisis on his part. Shoving the currency into his pocket Alex turned to Sean, who was sitting directly in front of Alex, his slightly roundish face peaceful, the eyes with a faraway look as if lost in thought, the full lips slightly parted and moist. What an opportunity !
“Sean raise your right hand.”
Haltingly, Sean’s right arm started to rise up until it was just below his eye level but just above Alex’s crotch. With a quick movement that surprised himself, Alex unzipped his trousers and exposed his semi rigid cock. The slightly skewed member was pointing towards Sean’s hand. With both hands slightly trembling, Alex reached out in front of him and took Sean’s hand. It was much bigger than either of his and surprisingly muscular. In a gentle arcing motion he guided Sean’s hand to his own cock, now almost rigid and starting to leak precum. Feeling a warm masculine hand on his dick quickly changed its status from almost rigid to totally erect. The precum began flowing now, forming long silvery filaments that stretched all the way down to the floor. Alex shuddered as he squeezed Sean’s hand around the fat penis.
During all of this, Sean’s expression had not changed. Sitting passively he was enjoying a world in his own mind that included sparks, shooting stars, and beautiful fireworks.
Alex was sweating profusely, in spite of the soft sound of the air conditioner vent overhead. His rumpled yellow shirt was pulled out of the trousers and partially obscured the two men’s hands. Such a delicious feeling should be made to last for centuries,...or a few hours at least. After all, he deserved it.
Suddenly the door at the far end of the office opened. At this hour the only person it could be is the security guard on his rounds. Why hadn’t he thought of that ? The near panic was the pin to burst his erection,..and instead of shooting his full load,..about one third of it oozed out spilling onto Sean’s right trouser leg just above the knee.
Spinning around Alex practically jumped back over his desk in a desperate attempt to make everything appear normal when the guard arrived. At the very last moment Alex looked straight at Sean snapping his fingers.
“WAKE UP!” Alex commanded in the loudest possible whisper.
Just at that moment the intruder arrived, who was in fact the security guard.
“Everything all right here ?” the guard asked with a bored and sleepy look on his face.
“Everything’s fine,..just finishing up,” Alex said with broad sweaty grin on his face.
Sean sat in the chair blinking his eyes. Then rubbing them, he looked up at the guard and then back to Alex.
“Well, y’all be sure to turn out the lights when you’re through,” the guard admonished and started to turn back to retrace his steps.
“Jeez, look at the time !” Sean exclaimed. “I gotta go home!”
Alex started to say something but Sean cut him off.
“I was supposed to see Laurie this evening at 8!”
Putting both hands on his knees he started to get up then felt the wet sticky stain just above his right knee. Sean frowned.
“Mr. Alex if y’all are through I’ll walk out with ya,” the guard offered courteously.
“O, ok,..I guess that’s enough for today, " Alex stood up and reached over to his jacket, hoping Sean would not see his still unzipped fly.
Not waiting to leave with the group Sean dashed by both of them.
“I gotta get home fast !” he shouted as he ran through the maze back to his own desk to grab his keys and then out the door.
Next day, Friday, Alex filled his “Programmer of the Year 1983” ceramic mug with coffee and settled down at his desk. Time passed and he noticed that he hadn’t seen Sean. Just then Margaret came to the cube.
“Have you seen Sean?” he asked Margaret knowing that if there was anything to be known about the group she is the one to ask.
“He’s not coming in today.” she replied sitting down at the tiny metal chair while absent mindedly looking down at the precum stain on the carpet.
“What do you mean he’s not coming in?” Alex asked, not bothering to hide the alarm in his voice.
“He called early before you got here. Said he’d worked late last night and finished the beta testing and needed to take the day off to get ready for the ‘big weekend’ tomorrow.”
“But he hasn’t finished his training?” Alex almost dropped the ceramic mug.
“Well, he’ll have to finish it on Monday I guess,” she offered sympathetically.
Just then, Alex remembered the disks. He had left them in Sean’s machine! All the programming for Sean was on them and they were the only copies.
Not waiting to say anything to Margaret, Alex ran out of the cube and around several corners to Sean’s. It was always so neat there, anything out of the ordinary could be spotted easily. He pushed the button for the D drive and the little door popped open—empty ! His alarm levels rising, Alex searched around the desk,..moving the few papers he found..tipping over books,...and files...nothing ! His heart now racing, Alex went over the likely happenings: 1) Sean was an enemy agent, placed there to steal the cd’s,—no, Alex believed himself to be under deep cover,..the bad guys wouldn’t know about Alex...2)Sean was a CIA agent sent to steal the program,...yeah,..that was a real possibility,...Sean was a plant,...how else to explain someone who was handsome coming to work there as a programmer,..not having a cluttered desk ?....but wait! wasn’t Sean under last night ? wasn’t Sean giving him a hand job ? That’s not part of the CIA training ! The possible theories soon become more elaborate and fanciful.
Thus began a series of phone calls lasting throughout the day to locate Sean. However, all phone calls went to one place, Sean’s apartment. On the first call Sean’s roommate, Dylan, answered who explained that Sean had gone to Laurie’s parents’ house out of town and no, he didn’t have their number. Further questioning revealed that Sean would be at the big party that evening at Haverford Country Club.
Having reached an early dead end but not willing to concede defeat, Alex decided that Dylan was lying to protect Sean. For that reason Alex began calling Sean’s apartment approximately every 45 minutes to see if Sean would answer the phone. When Dylan answered each time, Alex hung up without saying anything.
His own projects untouched for the day, Alex left work early, too nervous about what might happen to his c.d.’s to be able to concentrate on anything else. He had to see Sean that night.
Alex arrived at Haverford Country just after nightfall. It was obvious that he was not gaining admittance without an invitation, so he did the next best thing. Winding his way among the wealthy homes abutting the golf course of the club he found a hole in the fence and began skulking across the 8th green toward the club house. A wide verandah opened out from the main reception room facing the tall oaks surrounding the green.
From the darkness and humidity of the oak groves, Alex emerged wearing a rumpled hounds tooth jacket and to his mind what passed for a necktie. He wanted to be appropriately dressed but couldn’t have known the evening’s event was black tie. However luck was with him because out on the verandah stood Sean surrounded by a two lovely young women, each of whom appeared to be in her early 20’s, and a couple of well built young men. All laughing and talking it was apparent that Sean was the center of their attention. Alex hated him all over again.
Not stopping to catch his breath Alex crept up close to the steps descending from the verandah to hear Sean finish the conversation.
“No, I’m fine, you guys go ahead, I’m waiting for Laurie and she’ll be along in a few minutes.”
The others pushed off toward the large French doors separating the verandah from the reception rooms. This was Alex’s only opportunity. He knew he had to act. Trying to act as natural as possible he calmly ascended the stairs.
“Alex ! What are you doing here?!?” Sean was clearly stunned. Standing at the edge of the stone railing he was now the only person on the verandah. Light from the reception room shined out softly on Sean’s face. It was only at this close range, out of the context of the office that Alex realized how large Sean was physically. He was at least a head taller than Alex. Alex approached Sean and found that his eyes were just even with the younger man’s shaved neckline, where an abundance of flesh squeezed out over the tight collar. Wearing a black tuxedo and contrasting white shirt it was still possible to see the results of years of gym work in the chest. The thick black curls of the office were brushed back severely and held in place with a generous portion of mousse, their wetness giving off a sheen in the soft light.
“I’ve just got to talk with you,” Alex began, affecting a tone of breathless urgency.
“Something terrible has happened at the office and you’re the only one who can help.”
“But how did you find me here ?” Sean was clearly not comprehending this intrusion.
“Never mind about that ! I’ve come for the c.d. !”
“The what ?”
“The c.d. the c.d. ! The c.d. you were beta testing yesterday. It was in your D drive and when I went to look for it this morning it was gone ! I’ve got to get that back or we’re all out !”
“Alex, I don’t have your c.d., and I’m not sure I still understand how you got here or,.” Sean’s face lit up with recognition.
“Wait a minute ! When I was leaving late last night I stopped by my desk and got the c.d. from my computer because that was my roommate’s band,..he had lent it to me to listen to at the office.” Sean smiled, feeling now that the mystery had been resolved.
“Your roommate ! No, that wasn’t his music—that was my program, the one I’ve worked on for the last ten years !” Alex was pacing back and forth in front of Sean while the younger man remained with his back against the stone railing, facing the light coming from the club house.
“The last thing in your computer was my program not your music.”
“Well, then,...” Sean replied, reflecting again about the matter.
“..then I took it out of the computer and I gave it to my roommate. He’s back at the apartment. I’ll get it from him and bring it in Monday.”
This was not acceptable. It was at that moment that Alex realized how ridiculous his position now was even assuming he retrieved the c.d.. A report of this intrusion would get him ejected from the club, possibly arrested, with further negative consequences at work.
“Sean,..” Alex began, almost with a note of panic in his voice..
Sean looked perplexed and then irritated as Alex came within an arm’s length of him and grabbed his right hand.
“Sean, I want you to Sleep Now.”
A minor miracle started to unfold as a series of physical changes occurred. The look of irritation on Sean’s face dissolved. The cheeks flushed, and the mouth opened slightly. His eyes dilated and then glassed over, the eyelids half closing. Finally Sean’s head inclined forward a few degrees, the brilliant sheen from the hair moving with the change of position. His shoulders slumped and there was the sound air escaping from the lungs, like a sigh.
It had worked again ! Alex could not believe how simple this had been.
In the time it had taken to speak a trigger phrase, Sean had been reduced from a liability to an asset. It couldn’t have been sweeter.
“Sean, I want you to tell me the address of your apartment.”
“623 East 68th Street.”
“What is your roommate’s name?”
“Dylan.”
Have you got your room key with you ?”
“Yes.”
“Give it to me.”
Sean reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a key ring, handing it slowly to Alex. His appearance could be mistaken for that of a sleepwalker.
“Sean, when I leave here, you’re going to forget all about our meeting here this evening, do you understand ?”
“Yes,” Sean almost whispered. It was clear that speaking was difficult for him.
“Right now Sean, a parade is approaching from down the street. It will have animals, and marching bands, and beautiful girls,..you like that don’t you Sean ?”
“Uh-huh.”
“And when the parade goes by, you’ll awake with a wonderful feeling and not remember anything of our talk, do you understand ?”
“Yes, sir.”
Remembering his good fortune from the night before, Alex once again took full advantage of Sean’s powerless condition. Quickly looking around to verify that no one was watching, Alex slipped his right hand into Sean’s right jacket pocket. Grasping his thin wallet with only two fingers he nimbly lifted the item from its location and concealed it in the palm of his own hand. Turning quickly to the right and then back again he assured himself that no one had noticed. At that point the wallet was nonchalantly placed in his own jacket pocket, pausing only for the briefest moment to admire the expensive alligator skin.
A rustling of tree branches caused Alex to pause and once more scout out his surroundings. He absolutely could not be too careful. An unwelcome witness could raise questions or even an alarm as easily as could Sean should he wake up. It was at that point he noticed how sweaty his palms were, it must be a reaction to his own nerves he thought to himself.
Feeling a bit more confident now that he had secured the wallet Alex could not let pass one final opportunity. Without considering the risk posed by another uninvited touching, Alex swiftly pushed his now experienced right hand down into Sean’s right front trouser pocket. With the tips of his fingers he felt his way lightly through the lining, being careful not to touch his thigh. He soon felt a folded wad of currency contained in a money clip. Eureka ! he thought to himself, maybe it’s all $100’s ! Closing and squinting his eyes hard in order to stifle a laugh of joy at this wonderful treasure, and the possibilities it meant for him, Alex paused, very slightly, at this extremely compromising moment. It was then that Alex stumbled across an altogether unexpected treasure as he realized that the hard lump pushing against the wad of money, actually making it damp from some liquid oozing through the cheap lining, was Sean’s very large and very hard cock.
This was completely unanticipated. He had not considered the possibility that the hypnotic trance could cause an erection in the subject while his mind was, to all appearances, a million miles away.
Alex paused no more. Filing away this new revelation in his head he plucked the money clip out of the pocket and deftly shoved it into his own.
Sean remained in the frozen position into which Alex had placed him hoping to see the coming parade. This was too incredible, Alex thought to himself, ...maybe, just maybe his hypnotic program was better than he had given himself credit for.
This feeling of self regard quickly turned to contempt for Sean,...how easy,..all too easy it had been....( as it now seemed in hindsight ! ) to put him into this trance. Take him down,...put him under.
“Sean?”
“Yes?”
“Do you see the parade coming ?” Asking the question Alex pivoted away from the forest of the course and now faced the light coming from the open French doors.
“Yes, I like watching parades.” Sean’s flat monotone voice did not give an indication of his enjoyment, but he was following the script nevertheless.
Alex heaved a sigh. He wanted to relax but knew it would be too dangerous for him to remain there. Still, he couldn’t resist a final humorous twist.
“The parade has almost reached you, Sean. See, down at the end of the street is the color guard carrying the flag. You see it don’t you Sean?”
“Yes, the flag, I do.”
“The Guard of Honor is composed of U.S. Marines. You were in the Marines weren’t you Sean ?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then you must know the Marine Corps Hymn, don’t you Sean?”
“The Marine Corps Hymn, yes sir, I know it.”
“The color guard is coming up now Sean. It’s approaching, and they’re also carrying the Marine Corps flag. Sing the hymn for me. Sing the Marine Corps Hymn as the color guard marches it past. It will make you feel great to sing it Sean. You’ll finish and wake up feeling wonderful.”
“from the halls of montezuma,..”
“No Sean, sing it Louder”
“From the Halls of Montezuma,..”
“L O U D E R ! ”
“FROM THE HALLS OF MON-TE-ZU-UMA,..”
Alex smiled to himself and instinctively touched his hand to his right ear to shield it from the noise spewing from Sean’s mouth.
“..TO THE SHORES OF TRIPOLI...”
Dropping his face to be less noticed Alex slipped down the side stairs whence he had come while various of the elegantly attired crowd started to appear at the door,..curious at the evening’s serenade.
“WE WILL FIGHT OUR COUN-TRY’S BA-AT-TLE,..”
Sean was totally unaware of the group now gathering around him, he simply continued to croak out the familiar melody,....watching, in his mind, the Marine Guard of Honor,...as he had been instructed to do—programmed to do. He had no choice.
The shabby garden apartment where Sean lived helped to explain, in some ways, how he could afford to spend so much on his clothes. The apartment at 623 E. 68th street was on the upper level of a two story block consisting of eight apartments. In the entire complex there were ten blocks so it was not an easy thing for Alex to find the correct unit as names on the directory changed so frequently. Walking up the stairs Alex used the room key that Sean had given him. He silently unlocked the door and entered.
Something must have happened to the air conditioning in the apartment,..it wasn’t on and the room was uncomfortably warm. Overhead a cheap ceiling fan was making that faint grinding sound that occurs when it’s not properly installed. On the small dining table were the remains of what appeared to be several distinct meals. Dishes containing the remnants of breakfast cereal, spaghetti, and old Mr.Goodbar wrappers lay scattered about. There was no obvious sign of the c.d.. The bedroom door opened and Dylan walked out as he finished pulling his long dark blonde hair into a pony tail.
“Who the hell are you ?” Dylan demanded, appearing alarmed and angry at the intruder.
“Sorry, but the front door was open, I called out but I guess you didn’t hear me.” Alex smiled and raised both hands in a submissive gesture, his quick thinking lie seemed to satisfy the young man but Dylan still fixed him with a skeptical gaze.
“Well, who are you and what do you want ?” Although he was no longer alarmed, Dylan wasn’t letting his eyes off the visitor. Too many burglaries had occurred in the area for that.
“I’m Alex, Sean’s boss,..I talked with you on the phone yesterday, remember?”
Dylan finally seemed to relax a bit. “Oh, yeah,..well,.Sean’s still not here.”
“I know,..I’ve already spoken with him,” Alex interrupted, “and he’s meeting me here any minute.”
Dylan was in his early 20’s, not quite as tall as Sean and a bit thinner, but more muscular relative to weight. He was wearing a football jersey cut off just above the naval, revealing some well worked over ABS. Below he was wearing a speed, which was the first time Alex had ever seen anyone actually wearing one. He fit it perfectly. His well toned calf muscles and the dirty running shoes and filthy socks lying about indicated that Dylan was also a runner.
“Do you run ?” Alex wanted to change the subject.
“Couple miles every other day. Keeps my legs in shape, I’m a waiter.”
“Yeah, Sean told me.” Why do waiters always have pony tails? Alex thought to himself.
“S’down if you wanna wait.” Dylan moved over to the kitchen area and started to move dishes around in what looked like preparation to wash them.
Alex couldn’t tell if the thin mustache and goatee Dylan was wearing was trimmed closely or just wasn’t very thick. It made him look younger.
“You and Sean been roommates long ?” Alex was stalling for time. Looking down at the dirty floor he considered what his next move should be. He needed to look around the apartment for the c.d. but without Dylan becoming suspicious. Then he realized that Dylan had not responded.
Looking up he saw Dylan staring at him. It was unnerving.
“I said, have you and Sean been roommates for a long time ?” Alex repeated his question in a louder voice.
Dylan blinked and snapped his head, then blinked again.
“Sorry, just zoned out for a second,..what were you saying ? Oh about Sean and me,...we’ve been roomies about 4 months. I was just thinkin that I’d seen you somewhere before, or maybe not seen you, but heard you. Your voice sounds real familiar.” Dylan turned on the water and started rinsing off some of the grimy utensils.
Could this have happened ? Alex wondered to himself ?.....was it too far to suspect that Dylan had listened to the cd,....had, by chance, been programmed in the same way Sean had been ?
At the sink, where Dylan stood, great clouds of steam were coming up from the hot water as it splashed over the pots and pans, framing his face.
There was only one way to find out.
“Dylan, I want you to stop what you’re doing, and listen to me. I want you to remember your training.” He spoke in a low firm tone, not at all conversational. Alex’s heart was racing. He risked being thrown out of the apartment if Dylan were not programmed and thought that Alex was coming on to him.
Slowly, Dylan reached up and turned off the scalding water. He stood with his hands resting on opposite sides of the sink while the remaining steam swirled up around his face headed toward the ceiling. The humming fan served to circulate the steam and the heat throughout the room and Alex felt his own back become moist and now could see clearly now how sweat was flowing down each side of Dylan’s face.
Dylan didn’t wear a blank look as much as it was the expression of a man concentrating intently on something,....reading,...music,....a voice.
He blinked a few times as if trying to clear his thoughts.
Alex repeated, “Dylan I want you to stop what you’re doing and remember your training, listen to the sound of my voice.” The tone was softer now,...but just as firm.
“I’m listening,” he replied.
“You can’t listen to me over there. Come over to the sofa and sit down.”
“I can hear you jus..,” Dylan started to protest but his sentence was cut off as his body seemed to respond more quickly than his mind.
He walked slowly and deliberately over to the sofa, not looking at Alex as he passed him, then sat down on the sofa, pushing aside the papers and food wrappers.
“Dylan, I want to tell you about Sean,” Alex began.
“Yeah ?..”
“A couple of days ago I was talking with him about relaxation.”
“Yeah..?”
“Just like I’m talking to you, here,...now.”
“Um-hmm.” Dylan’s voice was higher pitched now,..farther away sounding, but he was still looking at Alex, still present in the real world.
“And the longer I spoke with him, Dylan, the more relaxed he became.”
“Just like me, huh ?”
Dylan’s question was unexpected and could be interpreted as a challenge.
“No, I’d say not as much as you.” Alex needed to recover the momentum and not allow Dylan to distract him or in any way guide the conversation.
“Because, for example, Sean’s legs and feet were not as loose, not as relaxed as yours are right now. And it’s all because of the sound of my voice. You like hearing it don’t you ?”
“Yeah,..”
“You find the sound and the tone relaxing to your body, don’t you ?”
“Yeah,..”
It was good now that Alex had him back on track. Getting him to agree, little by little was a sure way to pull him into the hypnotic pattern.
“And the same way that Sean’s legs relaxed, he was able to relax his arms. Are you able to relax your arms, Dylan ?”
“I think so,..” on saying that there was a visible release from Dylan’s powerful forearms, they seemed to give way, as if the energy had suddenly been turned off.
“Excellent, and also Sean was able to relax his face,..and jaw muscles,.. I think you can do that just as well as Sean, can’t you Dylan ?”
“Prob...ly " His speech was a bit slurred now and Dylan’s mouth didn’t close completely.
“And soon Sean’s body was totally and completely relaxed,....wouldn’t you like your body to relax like that Dylan ?”
“Yeah, but,...I can still,...” Dylan began then halted,..blinking heavily.
“I can still... break your arm,...if I wanted to,” Dylan managed to finish.
Alex tried to hide his alarm, no...panic. The conversation had been going on for 20 minutes yet Dylan somehow still considered Alex an enemy, and worse,...had been able to vocalize a threat against him. It immediately occurred to Alex that Dylan had not gone through the entire programming.
“Yes, you could Dylan,” Alex began his recovery, “..but you won’t.”
“And do you know why?”
“No,” Dylan said in the same faraway voice.
At that instant Alex reached over and pulled down the speedo. From its enclosure out popped Dylan’s fat seven incher, already moist with precum. Alex grabbed hold of the penis and began squeezing it gently moving his hand back and forth along the erect shaft.
“You won’t do that, because I now control you. Do you understand ? I control you because your cock wants to be controlled, wants you to be under control.” Alex spoke these words in a lower voice with a slight gravel tone to it, speaking in rhythm with the motion of his hand.
Dylan gave a small gasp. He looked down at his engorged member as if it were not a part of him. He had been betrayed by his cock. He looked up at Alex and Alex’s eyes were all flashing lights, stars,..sparkling colors. Dylan’s eyes rolled straight up into his forehead and his body slumped against the pillows. His face and body let go completely. He was where Alex wanted him, where Alex had put him.
There followed several minutes of additional programming, during which Dylan was caused to go deeper into the hypnosis into which he had fallen, apparently by accident. Alex enjoyed this part of the work. His was able to transform a person directly, not through the cold instrument of a compact disk. And Dylan had responded well,..once he had been taken down. During all of the deepening exercises Alex had maintained a grip on Dylan’s cock which had stayed erect during the procedures.
“And you know now who I am, don’t you Dylan ? Don’t you boy ?”
“Yes sir, you’re my programmer, my master.”
“Good boy,” Alex smiled and gave the cock a little squeeze.
Dylan lay back on the sofa, body relaxed like a leopard resting at midday. His eyes were open now but blank, staring off into the middle distance just as Sean had done.
“So tell me now boy, where is my c.d. that helped to put you in this state?”
“It’s in the cupboard over the sink,” Dylan answered in that same juvenile voice.
“Why is it there?” asked Alex.
“After I watched part of it I stopped but knew it had to be valuable. I wanted to sell it.”
Alex made a sour face. The little thief ! Alex thought to himself. Trying to make off with years of my hard work !
Alex stopped stroking Dylan’s cock and it immediately started to go soft.
“Well my little pet,..my little heifer,...my little moo cow,..you won’t be taking my program now, will you ?...”
“No, sir.”
“You’ll be a subject of my program, won’t you ?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Give me your watch.”
As instructed Dylan removed the expensive Tag Heuer from his wet wrist and handed it to Alex who quickly pocketed it.
Alex then moved back the chair in which he had been sitting, away from the sofa. The room was hot and humid. Sweat was running down his back across the folds of his little belly, and down his face. He hated sweating like this, it made him angry.
“Then get down on all four of your legs, you little moo cow !” Alex commanded.
As instructed, Dylan moved smoothly from the sofa to a position on his hands and knees, leg muscles glistening from the sweat, his head looking up toward Alex.
“Now come here for your feeding !” barked Alex.
Dylan slowly shuffled toward Alex while Alex stood up then lowered his trousers, exposing his own stiff six inch member. He sat back down in his chair just as Dylan approached him.
“Lick me ! " Alex growled. Clearly, Dylan was not an experienced mouth when it came to this kind of service though there was no question of him doing as he was told. Dylan, sweat pouring down his face, began to lick Alex and then to mouth the erect dick as instructed.
Alex began to rock back and forth on the chair rhythmically. Dylan didn’t move in sync with the motion of his master and so started to gag and cough as the back of his throat was rammed.
Stupid cow ! Alex thought to himself, his pleasure interrupted by Dylan’s coughing. I’ll teach you a lesson about stealing from me, he thought. Reaching over to the coffee table he picked up a large pair of scissors and with two whacks had severed the eight inch dark blonde pony tail.
Maybe it was the cooler feeling on his neck or perhaps it was a more visible symbol of his submission, but when Dylan’s hair was cut he seemed to get into the spirit of the event and began to suck hard on the cock, licking and slurping all the juicy bits Alex had to offer, yet keeping his four “hoofs” on the floor.
It was only toward the last, only at the last moment, when Alex had exploded and Dylan had taken in that explosion in his mouth that Alex noted a slight smile on the boy’s face,..some hint that perhaps underneath it all Dylan was beginning to appreciate his submission. There would be much to teach him.
“Get up and get dressed.” Alex was drenched in sweat, he had to get out of there.
“Yes, sir.”
Dylan silently rose and stood before him as if at attention. Sweat covered his face and the wetness of the half shirt he wore made it cling to him, emphasizing his abundant chest muscles.
“When I leave, you’ll wake up and not remember anything about me being here, do you understand ?”
Not waiting to hear Dylan’s ‘yes, sir’ Alex grabbed his c.d. from the cupboard and ran out of the oven he’d been in for the past two hours.