- - 20 - -
Weeks go by, as if they'll never get used up.
Then I'm waking up, and something is different. The mattress feels different, under my ass. And my legs. Not satin. Just the sensation of... touching something is getting to me.
After a minute, I figure out what that means. There's an extract that makes my skin this sensitive. I remember it. Laying on a satin sheet, with this drug in me - well, it was hysteria time, even before Tor picked up a glove...
But that doesn't make sense, exactly. It's dark, and quiet. Obviously not the infirmary, or the shop. Not the dorm. I must be unconscious, except that doesn't explain why just sitting down has my thighs all tingly, throbbing -
But not my back. That's weird.
I try to move, and find out why. My hands are up. Over me. I'm sitting...
Legs spread. Cuffed down. Arms together, and caught good. I can twist, a little, but I can't see anything. My eyelids move freely, so there's not blindfold on me, or a hood.
Well, all things will be explained soon enough. Sure they will.
I look around the darkness, waiting for a cigarette to touch my lip. And it doesn't show up. Another tease.
Probably, I'm in the newest building. The one D isn't allowed to tell me about. There's inner walls, and it's sealed up better than any of the other cells.
"Gee, I wonder what's gonna happen to me, in here..." But Tor doesn't take the bait. No response, out loud or in my head -
Something clicks. Over me. Movement. Something big. I pull at the straps, but my arms are staying up. It's hard to tell, but I get the impression part of the ceiling is approaching.
Like a shelf, in front of me. Big shelf.
A soft snap makes me jump, and a little red light comes on. Power unit...
That's when I first notice the glow. Brightening up. Blue-white, soft and frightening. Power.
My limbs decide it would be an excellent idea to try to get away from that light. Round capsules -
They lift off. Thin wands, with electric tips. I can't decide whether to shit myself or start crying. Begging for mercy sounds best of all, but I know how useless that is.
And I watch the quivering light approach my ribs...
The details all blur together.
I know the cuffs are ridiculously long, halfway to my elbow, covering most of my shins. That stands out because I keep trying to swing back, get away, and the size of the restraints is different than I was used to.
Suddenly, the impact of the tickling has increased by a factor of... one hundred. Hell - I'd only been kidding around before! Back when I thought it was hitting me harder, so many other times I couldn't even count 'em. I catch myself thinking, now this - this is the real deal...
Laughing, and squirming, are absolutely out of the question. I know I keep breathing. I do that just fine.
The sensation plows through my muscles, all the way through. Under, beyond... It deserves a different name.
And the orgasms, well, they're just... transcendent.
Smaller tips of lightning join in. There are wires, dragging across my chest, my legs. All of the tools are plugged into the black control unit, humming there on the far side of the shelf. I stare at the red light, the power switch, and try to rock it to the left with telekinesis. I've always thought that ESP stuff was a crock of shit, and now I earnestly, passionately want it to work, just this once. Shut off the power.
But it doesn't.
I drink water, and sometimes I'm chewing. Swallowing. But it's a very mechanical activity. Habit. Smarter to turn it down, I think. Don't refuel your body. All those nerve endings. I think about it, but I eat and drink anyway.
And there's not even a chuckle out of Tor. Not one of those satisfied sighs. Even when I lift my head and try to focus on something - things - larger, two of 'em, coated in the blue light.
Wire mesh gloves.
Years and years pass.
I wake up, and dammit - I'm still in here! Feet hanging from the straps, arms pinned wide to the floor.
All I can see, from this angle, is a very faint haze radiating off the shelf. That menacing shade of blue.
After I keep finding myself in here, enough times, I start to wonder if I'm still at the palace. Maybe Tor made a cell of its own, and moved me. It's got me all to itself now. Electric Torland.
Electro-Tor...
No matter what I try, I can't will my body to stop feeling the monstrous, piercing tingles.
Oil is applied again, with quick and efficient strokes. I think it acts as a good conductor. That's about all the thinking I can handle.
I've come to expect it. Waking up here. It's not a surprise now.
The thing to look forward to is the cum-shots. I find it hard to keep my mind fixed on anything, but when I cum it surpasses every other climax I can remember.
And the wands move more quickly, afterward. But I kinda like the challenge... Trying to be aware of the effect they're getting. Really trying to keep up.
- - 21 - -
Grass. Itchy. Tickling me...
No. At least it's not Tor, doing the enchanted grass bit. It's real. Okay.
Huh. I must be outside. Not in the new torture chamber anymore. This is a terrific dream. I take a deep breath -
And sneeze. I keep sneezing about eight times. So I yawn, and sit up. I'm in the clearing. The sun is fighting to bust through thin white clouds. All I've got on is the fucking moccasins.
A cigarette would be good, right now. I roll over, onto my knees, and stand up. Everything still works. Ironic thought...
When I walk into the kitchen, Shon almost does a spit-take. The look on his face, as he tries to swallow his coffee, makes me smile.
"Wow!," he finally says.
"That bad, huh?"
"No. No, no, no... You were gone, like, a week and a half!"
I sit down and pick up his cigarettes. "Blue glowing... rods."
He shivers. "Don't."
"The metal gloves... That was a nice touch." I light up, and get a serious head-rush. "How can you smoke these things?"
"Ha," he says, without a trace of humor. "How else would I know there's more to come?" He means, more tickling. I nod, smirking real big.
"You okay?"
"Hell, no."
"I mean... You're pretty cheerful."
I knock the ash off my smoke. "Yeah. I'm not in there anymore."
Shon nods slowly. "You got stuntman-eyes."
"More than usual?" And he laughs. We've talked about that before. Here, we look seriously manic, most of the time. "You did, too -"
"How long did you say I was in there?"
I thought about it. "Seven... maybe eight days. I don't think it was longer than that."
"Huh." He looks at me, like he's appraising a used car.
"You're... jealous."
"Get out of here!"
"Hey, Vex," I say loudly, looking around.
"Buck?"
"Your rabbit is feeling cheated. I got the juice longer than he did -"
"Shut up!," D snaps at me.
"Is that so?," Vex says thoughtfully. Shon's eyes are big... "You want me to fix that, Shon?"
"No!"
"Y-yes," I say, real sly. "He wants it."
Vex and Tor start to laugh.
Shon starts to say something - doing his best to look wounded, betrayed - but we all know it's true. "Dammit..."
So it's on. I didn't mean to start it - not very smart, but it's underway. A contest.
I'm next to D, on the big hammock, and Tor has a whole bunch of fingers on me. Playing on my sides, as if I was a harp. Or a banjo.
It's been going on, and on, and I'm way beyond bouncing around... and I squint over at Shon. The old reflex, help me help me, I'm getting fucked with.
The son of a bitch is just laying there. Smoking a joint. Calm. Now why am I getting the business, and the big actor gets to take it easy? I need to know.
If I start talking, though, I'm gonna laugh. And I mean, roar like a dinosaur. One of those big fuckin' dinosaurs...
"Hhhhhh," I say to D. He finally looks over at me. Good. I got the first letter. How come, fuckhead? "Hhhhh haaaaaaaaaah hah hah haw haaaawwwww whoooollll laaaw haw hah haaaaaallllaaaahhhhh?"
He starts to grin. And then he shrugs.
For a second, I hate his guts.
I'm getting tortured, and he's just kicked back, here. Smoking. Grinning at me. Dammit.
It may not be his fault, but I find a cold, fierce comfort in thinking up ways to get back at him.
The easiest way, of course, is to steer the conversation. It's pretty damn obvious...
But this morning, all it takes is a few questions about which oil makes him the most ticklish - and I get to sit there and grin at him, tugging on my smoke, as he's dragged off to the infirmary, cussing me out as he goes.
"More coffee?," Tor snickers.
"Why, thanks. Don't mind if I do."
It's stupid. A dangerous game. I know that... mostly because Tor and Vex are obviously enjoying the fuck out of it.
Fun, but there's a risk here. Long-term. I do not need anything to look forward to, here. Any excuse at all to like this place is one excuse too many. I can't afford to weaken. Decide it would be cool to stay around. Their little Buck-rabbit's already won over...
We're hanging out at the firepit, in the middle of the day. We're both stoned. I didn't see it coming - not at all - but Shon is going on and on about what Vex likes to do to the sides of his feet, and then he adds that el gusano doesn't really get to him all that much. Is that so, I shoot back - and the fucker sneaks it right in, very clever...
"I don't know," he says, "But maybe if I... saw it clearly, in good light, then I'd appreciate it more."
So Tor grabs me - and demonstrates it. El gusano, all over me, while Shon watches. Big ol' smirk on his face. Smoking, and chortling now and then.
Ten, fifteen minutes... and then I hear Tor say, "Seeya later, Buck," and it carries me into the shop, where the fingers keep busy until long after the sun goes down.
And a day or two later, Tor has me up on a rack, almost vertical. It's using three kinds of brushes. A long, long morning...
In the doorway, I see Shon there, leaning. Smoking. Watching the brushes nuke me. And that fucking smirk -
I get an idea. "Ruh... That rah... Rabbit nee- needs... a... bath."
That's all it takes. His expression changes, and his arms go behind him. "No!," he barks, looking from one of his shoulders to the other. Moving away from the shop.
"You already gave me a bath today!," he yells. "C'mon, Vex. It's not... fair..." Voice fading away, as he goes. And - okay - I feel triumphant, for a minute.
"Good one," Tor says, lifting the brushes off me. I am so glad to catch my breath, I don't dare say anything.
A cigarette is pulled out of the pack. Floating over me, slowly, almost a ceremony. Down to my mouth. So I'm aware of what it means. What will follow.
I'm in the shop, cuffed to the chair. Tor has been polishing me for awhile -
Pressure tightens. Blindfold.
I groan.
"Yeah. That makes it worse," D says. It takes me a few seconds to realize...
"Shon?"
Cloth, pulling tight - over my tongue.
The fingers tying it are taking a while. Fumbling.
You son of a bitch, I think.
"There," he giggles, when he's through.
"Thanks, Buck," Tor says.
A hand pats me on the head. Three pats. "You take good care of him, Tor. Give him something real special."
"Well, let's see..."
Greasy hands start coating my belly. Chest, sides. It smells like liniment.
Smaller points coast through it. Soft. Those damn rubber probes. One in each armpit, circling lazily... And one on each side, tracing the underside of a rib, chest-to-back and reversing course. Staggered, so one is always moving back, and the other is returning to the front.
It gives me the feeling I'm spinning. I gotta lunge around, bellowing into the gag. The liniment is heating up -
Another tiny point starts tickling my belly button, and I jump like a kangaroo.
Shon giggles again...
- - 22 - -
When Tor frees me the next day, there are no words to describe how much I wanna get back at Shon. He has no idea what he just brought down on himself. I can't wait.
Stalking to the kitchen, stomach growling loud, I start to think it through. He's not at the table, and I'm glad. Asshole. I sit there and smoke hard, watching eggs as they're cracked into a frying pan...
By the time I'm done eating, the cold truth has got me. Very depressing. If I get my revenge, he'll get his revenge. And so on. Raising the ante.
The ticklers are driving a wedge between us. making it easier, maybe, for D to go okay, fuck it, fuck him, I wanna stay here. I want him to stay here with me. We're not gonna give this up, so have at us...
It may be too late, already. The son of a bitch gagged me. How much longer until he's pulling on gloves? Voluntarily?
As much as I hate quitting when I'm behind, this is a contest we're both gonna lose. I get up, and look around.
He's in the infirmary. Cuffed down.
"Hey," I say, sitting next to him.
The look on his face, when he wakes up enough, is like a confirmation. Oh, shit, it's you. What are you gonna do to me?
I like seeing that look on his face. He's helpless, and there's a shitload of stuff to tickle him with in the wall cabinet... I got you now, and you know it. Fucking actors...
But those thoughts aren't originally mine. Tor. Go pull the wings off flies, or something.
It chuckles. A fist slams into my shoulder, and my head clears.
Shon looks confused. "No," I said, to reassure him. "Look. You win. Okay? This shit's gotta stop. Getting the drop on each other -"
"I got you good," he says. His face is about as arrogant as it gets.
"Y-yeah. But th-"
"Quitter."
I rock back a little. You stupid fucker. I could drill your feet all day long, starting right now. Vex would probably be glad to see me do it...
"Tor," I say, louder.
"Couldn't resist, Liebre," it says happily. "Go for it. Nuke him -"
"Pay no attention... to the man behind the curtain," D says, desperately. And that breaks me up. Not all that funny, but it reminds me who my friends really are.
I reach over and pick up his smokes, and give him one. "I don't care how much of a prick you are," I say, all matter-of-fact about it. "This one-upmanship is only gonna turn out bad. Real bad."
He takes a couple drags. "Shit."
"Yeah. I know."
"I really liked gagging you. That was so cool..."
I fight to keep from saying what I'm thinking. "These are unusual times we're living in."
"So. I win."
"If you need to. Sure. We can't afford to let 'em drive us any further ap-"
"So this means, you're not going to sic Vex on me?"
"Uh-huh. That's what it means."
"Even if I keep siccing Tor on you?" Still with that smug look on his face -
Kick his ass, Hare. Vex is real excited. He's so askin' for it. I'll help -
"No thanks," I murmur.
Shon sets his jaw. Daring me to cross him. In any way...
"Even if you keep sic'ing Tor on me," I say slowly, hating to say it, "I'm not going to hit back. Think it over." And I look at the wall cabinet. Oh, fuck, do I want to take it back. Throw that baby open...
Not that I want to tickle him. I just want to show him who's smarter than who -
Who's the boss.
Sorry, Tor, because I recognize who's pushing my thoughts around. Not today.
Aw, c'mon.
Nope. Vex laughs, out loud. We both look quick, in that direction -
The wall cabinet.
"Time for the Buck-rabbit... to come unglued."
Brushes. Little cords, and I bet it's going to tie his toes back.
I shake my head. And move, fast. Get out of there. "Think it over, D," I yell, over my shoulder. He's seen the brushes already, and is already thrashing around...
"No, aw no, Vex, not now, I'm hungry, you can't... I can't take any more right now, I can't, aw please..."
Have a good time, I think. I feel like I'm being avenged. I like that feeling a lot.
Leave it to Vex, then. Tor is sounding excited. Or inspired. Vex will pay him back. You just keep on walking, to the dorm. Right to the stocks.
Behind me, Shon starts wailing. Frustration, laughter... sounding just like he's unable to laugh hard enough.
Apparently, he didn't hear me walking up.
"And then - no, at the same time - you have Vex fuck with his knees for a while. Really work 'em," he says. Drunk, and slurring. Wobbly.
"Oh, yeah?" Tor laughs.
There's a pad of paper in his hand. An outline of a body... Arrows, and numbers. Black ink - that's from the pen he's using.
"You're missing out. I mean, shit. You've heard him tell me how bad his knees fuck him up."
A red pen is hovering, near the left foot on the diagram. It slaps two more X's alongside the middle of each leg -
"What the hell?" I say quietly. The sentence trails off. It's pretty obvious.
He grins. Caught in the act...
"Planning. A little... parrr... par-teeeeee," and he cracks up.
A whole bunch of invisible hands grab me.
"No A big party," Tor says. "Festival gigante."
"Lucky... hare," he squeals.
"Two days, two nights." The hands tighten their grip.
"What? No way -"
Shon nods. "And I just got me... some time off."
My ankles are pulled off the ground. One moccasin unlocks. Then the other.
"You wouldn't -"
"Oh yeah," he chortles. "Yeah, I did. No tickling for me tomorrow."
"Or the next day," Tor adds. "C'mon, Hare. Pure excitement."
"Shon!" I yell... over my shoulder, since I'm being carried away.
"Seeya in a couple days," he cackles.
The moccasins fall off. "Y'know, he's a good guy," Tor says. "Helpful."
"Wild ideas for ya," Vex adds. "Oh, yeah. Almost as if he's been storing them up..."
I seriously think they just might tickle me to death. Right here. This could be it...
The brushes and fingers slow down.
And they start gearing up again...
I'm eating breakfast. Shon walks up - weird, rocking steps - and then he freezes. In the doorway.
"That wasn't me," he says quickly.
I finish chewing, and swallow. Looking him over. "Figured that."
He sighs with relief.
Tor is whispering to me, though. In my head. So D can't hear... That's fuckin' bullshit, Liebre. He gave you up.
Go away, I think irritably.
Helpin' me, to get you good. Gonna do it until you like it...
"What'd you do yesterday?" I ask him.
He looks pissed off. "I got milked. All day. And the day before that, it... aw hell, I forgot the word. When you wanna come, and they won't let-"
"Denial?"
He nods. "Shit."
"So. Two days off, no tickling -"
"Pure hell," he mumbles. "Cain't hardly walk."
Yeah, Tor, I think. Okay. He really made out like a bandit, didn't he? Setting me up really worked out sw-
"Lyin'," it whispers, right by my ear. "He's on our side now."
"Fuck you. Both of you."
Shon looks up. "What?"
"Nuthin'."
On to Part 6
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