Lottery
Chapter 9
By Mark J. Silva Jr
Mark was squeezed in the back of a large van-like vehicle. The drive was long and boring. Mark had fallen asleep while lying across Heather's lap. Christy sat and talked with Lisa over a few concerns she had. Mark wasn't an easy person to work with.
In the short time Christy had known Mark, she'd found him to be temperamental, augmentative, willful and at times he fell into depressions. Lisa explained that a lot of it was related to the stasis sickness, and the fact that he didn't have any wetware to help stabilize his mood swings.
Males were violent. It was a trait that was millions of years old. Males had been feminized and the natural violent instinct had been mostly bred out of males. Still, they tended to have sudden mood shifts. Mark's tended to be worse, because he didn't have the standard wetware that most males had, these days.
“Christy, give it up. My dad is a spoiled pretty boy, with no control,” said Anna with a scowl.
“Pretty boy? That I am. Spoiled? Possible. But I'm always in control,” Mark answered as he sat up.
Mark got up on uneasy feet, and walked over to Anna. He placed a finger on her forehead.
“Tell me, do you have the Lambda Personal Communications package, which allows you to chat with anyone in real time, no matter where you are? Is it in that thick headed noggin of yours?”
Anna brushed Mark's hand away and said, “Of course I do! Just about everyone does.”
“That was patented twenty-nine years ago, on Ares twenty-ninth. Now, why don't you use all that brain power shoved under your skull, and find out who patented it?” Mark said, as once more he jabbed his finger onto her forehead to make his point.
Patent searches are pretty easy. After a few seconds, Anna eyes widened. Mark, at fourteen, had patented the LPC and three other wetware matrices that were used just about everyday, now.
Mark saw the understanding in Anna's eyes.
“That's right! At the age of fourteen (when you may have been playing with your first 'Peter Penis'), I was making wetware and earning credits.”
The van started into a hard turn, and Mark lost his balance. He was caught by Lisa, who pulled Mark fully onto her lap. She goosed his side, causing him to jump.
“Now you stop picking fights, and get back to your seat,” Lisa who half scolded Mark as she passed him to Heather who placed him in a seat and buckled him in.
Mark sat back with a smug look on his face while Anna watched him carefully. Her dad was a pretty boy. He sat there as Heather fussed over him and Mark flattened out his dress skirt.
Mark watched out a window as they passed through a check point. Then, a few moments later, they pulled into a ship yard filled with large ships. Mark frowned. He sensed that he no longer knew the current ship classes. They stopped at an older ship, and he smiled. It was the USS New Relevance, a Solaris class research heavy cruiser.
When Mark had worked in the labs, he had dreamed of exploring the universe on a Solaris class research heavy cruiser. Mark almost jumped out of the van. Then the rear doors of the van opened, two heavily armed soldiers pointed blasters at him.
Christy yanked Mark off his feet, and placed herself between him and the soldiers, while Heather and Lisa got up and out of the van.
Mark was shaking like a leaf in the breeze. Christy kept Mark's head down and covered. Outside the van, Lisa and Heather chewed out the soldiers, and made sure that they were very, very far away, before bringing Mark out of the van and onto the ship.
Mark stood at his lab's doors, on the research deck. He felt like a kid with a new toy as they slid open, allowing him access. Inside, he found all types of equipment, and his favorite types of holodrome displays. Mark checked them over carefully, and rearranged how they were set up. Then he added a four extra Holoprojectors, and piped in some music.
Lisa sat in her private office with Christy, Heather, and Anna. They watched Mark. None of them could see the matrices Mark had up, for their own protection, but they could see everything else.
“He's dancing?” Anna said as she watched Mark twirl around and his head bopped from side to side.
“Yes, he is. You should see him when he's in shape. He'll do cart wheels and flips, also,” Heather said.
“This is insane, how can he work bouncing around like a little boy, hopped up on sweets? He needs to focus on his work,” Anna said as she paged through a few things. “Mom, he's fucking chatting in a group forum!”
“Oh, is he? I've gotta see what he chatting about,” said Lisa.
She found the com's signal, and opened a private viewing window.
Anna sat, horrified! Mark was in a chat room, being a major flirt and tease. Then someone asked if she could meet him for a play date. Then Mark's head tilted, and a glamor shot of his face was super imposed in the room. His blue eyes twinkled, and his cheeks were rosy, and his long eyelashes fluttered as his smile lit up everyone.
There was a flash, and a file was transferred.
“What did he just do?” Anna said as she seized a copy of the file.
“Relax, Anna, he only sending a contact package,” Lisa said as she listened in on Mark.
Anna wouldn't 'just relax.' Mark was working on a deadly project. He shouldn't be flirting with others. But when she cracked the file open she found a contact file. Saying if she wanted to play she would have to contact his owner. It came with lots of info, and some basic rules.
Then Anna looked over at what Mark was working on. He was dancing, playing loud music and flirting with people in a virtual chat room. Meanwhile, the equipment reported a forty five percent file completion. He had already broken through nine layers of encryption, and was doing this without any aid from the labs AI (it was shut down due to the file's danger to wetware matrices).
Anna finally sat down.
“I can't believe what I am seeing! How does he do that?”
Heather moved from her seat to sit by Anna, “Your father has a gift. He plays with wetware, like you play with your girlfriend. When he was working in his own lab, he'd be doing all types of things all at once. Yet he'd turn out some of the most wonderful programs for ONI. He designed and built the Series Seven AI cores and those still can't be outdone. Ship builders beg, borrow, and steal to get their hands on his AI's. He is a pretty boy. He is soooo spoiled, and yes, he is moody, but… Look at him!”
Anna looked at the display, and saw Mark dancing some more. Suddenly, he flipped up his skirt, and told some lady to kiss his ass. Lisa busted out laughing, and Christy seemed to be saving something.
“Your dad got stuck in a lab for months at a time. He wasn't allowed to go out and play, or to get away from work. So, yes, Lisa lets him party while he works. She lets him tease and sleep with whoever he pleases.”
“But he's owned! He's only suppose to do as he told, not tease others and party while he works,” said Anna.
Then Lisa expanded a screen. It was Mark in a chat room, bouncing around flirting. Another male had entered the room, and went over to Mark.
“I 'eared a pretty boy was here. I bet your mouth would look good around my cock,” the man said as he reached out to touch Mark in the chat room.
But Mark drifted away.
“Sorry, buddy; but I do not play with old men, or boys.”
The man had Lisa's attention as she ran his ID. It came back as another owned male, living not all that far from them. He had a long record of abusing others and for a rape a year ago on another male. He was trouble. At forty-six he been in and out of trouble, a lot. As she read more, she was betting a lot of his issues were the enhancements. Bigger stronger and more muscular males had come into vogue, a few years after Mark went into Stasis. It was a fashion statement by the owners, but left many males messed up with 'hormone rage' issues.
“I know where you live, pretty boy. I will be coming over, real soon.”
Mark didn't bat an eye, “You do that. Then, when you meet my owner and her brigade of six thousands fine marines, you tell them what you just said, here.”
Then Mark threw the guy out, and the others clapped their hands.
About three hours into Mark's work, he closed the chat room, and turned down the music. Then, to Anna amazement, he rolled up a shirt and lay his head down on the console where he'd been working, and fell asleep.
“He sleeping?” Anna said in surprise.
Lisa looked over at Anna, “Well considering the shape he in, and how much bouncing around he was doing, I was expecting him to take a nap long before now.”
It was coming up to sixteen hours, and it was Heather who asked the big question.
“How are we going to get him out of there?”
Lisa had a concerned look about her.
“He needs to realize, soon, that he has to eat… doesn't he.”
“This was the same problem we had back in the lab, Lisa. He loses himself in his work and doesn't eat, but what can we do?” Heather said.
“I have an idea,” Christy said with a smiled.
Twenty minutes later, a red sports car pulled up and a heavyset male got out from the driver's seat.
“Madam Bradly, Mistress Fairday sends her warmest welcome, and hopes Penny is helpful.”
Climbing out of the passenger side, was a twelve year old girl. She was very thin, with a lightly tanned skin. But what was most surprising, was her bright green eyes.
“Momma said man need help?” Penny asked.
Lisa looked over at the male who smiled back, “Penny is impaired, but she tries her best. As we discussed before, she has no wetware. My Mistress thinks it would be a waste on her.”
Christy walked over to her, “A friend of mine is working way too hard. We need you to go to him, and bring him to us, so he can eat.”
After passing a few check points in the ship, everyone stood at the lab's main doors.
“Now, Penny, you will need to take hold of his hand, and walk him back out here. No matter what he says, do not let him get away.”
Lisa touched a lock pad and it scanned her bio-print the large doors unsealed and opened and everyone was suddenly assaulted by lots of bass from the loud music. Anna couldn't even hear herself think, much less focus on anything. Penny walked in like it was nothing at all.
Unknown to Anna and the other women outside the lab, Mark had set up a sound field that would make it impossible for people with wetware to just walk in. Mark hadn't planned on how to keep someone without wetware, out.
Penny walked around the lab. She'd been told Mark was the only person in there. But finding just one person, in a large lab filled with equipment, wasn't easy for her. After wandering around a bit, she found him.
Penny watched as Mark danced in the lights. He was having a great time. But unlike Roger, the man her mom had taking care of her, Mark was tiny. He was pretty, and he sure the hell looked like he'd be more fun to play with than Roger.
Then Mark saw her, and suddenly the whole lab was plunged into utter blackness. Penny screamed in fear.
“Who are you, and what are you doing here?” came from all around her.
“Mommy's friend said to find the man in here, and tell him he needs to come out. Can you please turn on the lights? It's really scary in here!”
Mark sat on the floor, with his back to the console, typing away on a tablet. While this girl couldn't see a thing, the lab's cameras could see even in pitch black darkness. Mark pulled up all her info, and stared at the smiling face on her ident. She was twelve years old, but had the IQ of a six-year-old. She couldn't be in here to hurt him.
“Please, Mister? Please turn on the lights? I'm frightened,” Penny whined in the dark.
“Illume, standard,” Mark said.
The lights slowly brightened to normal, and Mark stood up and looked over at the girl.
She smiled back at him and ran over. As soon as was beside him, she grabbed his hand.
“Hey, what you doing?” Mark said.
Penny might be just twelve, and have an even lower IQ, but she was still a female! She was just as tall as Mark, but had about twenty pounds on him. When her hand locked around Mark's wrist, he flinched from how her hand pinched him.
“Nice lady said to bring you out, no matter if you wanted to or not,” she said, and started to drag Mark as she walked back to the main doors.
The doors opened, and everyone who was waiting covered their ears at the noise, until the doors resealed. Heather quickly locked the doors shut and set a security code, preventing anyone from accidentally entering the lab.
Lisa rushed to Mark, and starting checking him over. Penny just stood there. Christy walked over to Penny, and passed her a piece of candy.
“Man made it all dark and scary in there.”
“I think you scared him, more,” Christy answered. “You did great, kiddo.”
“You, little man, are going to eat something!” Lisa told Mark as he rubbed his sore wrist.
“But I wasn't finished,” he whined.
Lisa smiled, “I know, but you have been working for sixteen hours. You are going to get something to eat and some real sleep.”
“I don't need more sleep, I need to get back and finish with Night Fire,” Mark said, and everyone froze for a split second.
“What did you call it, Mark?” Heather asked first.
“'Night Fire.' It was an Army INSCOM (Army Intelligence and Security Command) project. The virus program is one of theirs.”
Lisa's expression changed, and suddenly Mark was lifted off the deck, and carried away. They left the others gathering themselves, and trying to catch up. Lisa didn't say a word as she entered the Non-Com's barracks, aboard the ship.
Walking up to the Master Gunnery Sergeant she said, “Master Gunnery Sergeant, I am leaving Mark here in your troops' care. He is not to leave the barracks. He needs to eat and get some sleep.”
Master Gunnery Sergeant Willis stood at attention and replied, “Madam, this isn't a proper place for a male to be.”
“Are you saying a young male wouldn't be safe in your troopers' care?”
The MGS swallowed hard as she said, “Of course he will be safe with my ladies, Madam, but we do not have billeting for a male, here.”
Lisa smiled, “Master Gunnery Sergeant, I need to hold him someplace 'off the radar' for the night.”
Becky looked over at Mark, and he smiled back at her. “I guess if he doesn't mind sharing a rack, we could find him someplace for tonight.”
Lisa looked down at Mark and said, “Remember the protocols, and have some fun. I will be back in the morning.”
In the short time Christy had known Mark, she'd found him to be temperamental, augmentative, willful and at times he fell into depressions. Lisa explained that a lot of it was related to the stasis sickness, and the fact that he didn't have any wetware to help stabilize his mood swings.
Males were violent. It was a trait that was millions of years old. Males had been feminized and the natural violent instinct had been mostly bred out of males. Still, they tended to have sudden mood shifts. Mark's tended to be worse, because he didn't have the standard wetware that most males had, these days.
“Christy, give it up. My dad is a spoiled pretty boy, with no control,” said Anna with a scowl.
“Pretty boy? That I am. Spoiled? Possible. But I'm always in control,” Mark answered as he sat up.
Mark got up on uneasy feet, and walked over to Anna. He placed a finger on her forehead.
“Tell me, do you have the Lambda Personal Communications package, which allows you to chat with anyone in real time, no matter where you are? Is it in that thick headed noggin of yours?”
Anna brushed Mark's hand away and said, “Of course I do! Just about everyone does.”
“That was patented twenty-nine years ago, on Ares twenty-ninth. Now, why don't you use all that brain power shoved under your skull, and find out who patented it?” Mark said, as once more he jabbed his finger onto her forehead to make his point.
Patent searches are pretty easy. After a few seconds, Anna eyes widened. Mark, at fourteen, had patented the LPC and three other wetware matrices that were used just about everyday, now.
Mark saw the understanding in Anna's eyes.
“That's right! At the age of fourteen (when you may have been playing with your first 'Peter Penis'), I was making wetware and earning credits.”
The van started into a hard turn, and Mark lost his balance. He was caught by Lisa, who pulled Mark fully onto her lap. She goosed his side, causing him to jump.
“Now you stop picking fights, and get back to your seat,” Lisa who half scolded Mark as she passed him to Heather who placed him in a seat and buckled him in.
Mark sat back with a smug look on his face while Anna watched him carefully. Her dad was a pretty boy. He sat there as Heather fussed over him and Mark flattened out his dress skirt.
Mark watched out a window as they passed through a check point. Then, a few moments later, they pulled into a ship yard filled with large ships. Mark frowned. He sensed that he no longer knew the current ship classes. They stopped at an older ship, and he smiled. It was the USS New Relevance, a Solaris class research heavy cruiser.
When Mark had worked in the labs, he had dreamed of exploring the universe on a Solaris class research heavy cruiser. Mark almost jumped out of the van. Then the rear doors of the van opened, two heavily armed soldiers pointed blasters at him.
Christy yanked Mark off his feet, and placed herself between him and the soldiers, while Heather and Lisa got up and out of the van.
Mark was shaking like a leaf in the breeze. Christy kept Mark's head down and covered. Outside the van, Lisa and Heather chewed out the soldiers, and made sure that they were very, very far away, before bringing Mark out of the van and onto the ship.
Mark stood at his lab's doors, on the research deck. He felt like a kid with a new toy as they slid open, allowing him access. Inside, he found all types of equipment, and his favorite types of holodrome displays. Mark checked them over carefully, and rearranged how they were set up. Then he added a four extra Holoprojectors, and piped in some music.
Lisa sat in her private office with Christy, Heather, and Anna. They watched Mark. None of them could see the matrices Mark had up, for their own protection, but they could see everything else.
“He's dancing?” Anna said as she watched Mark twirl around and his head bopped from side to side.
“Yes, he is. You should see him when he's in shape. He'll do cart wheels and flips, also,” Heather said.
“This is insane, how can he work bouncing around like a little boy, hopped up on sweets? He needs to focus on his work,” Anna said as she paged through a few things. “Mom, he's fucking chatting in a group forum!”
“Oh, is he? I've gotta see what he chatting about,” said Lisa.
She found the com's signal, and opened a private viewing window.
Anna sat, horrified! Mark was in a chat room, being a major flirt and tease. Then someone asked if she could meet him for a play date. Then Mark's head tilted, and a glamor shot of his face was super imposed in the room. His blue eyes twinkled, and his cheeks were rosy, and his long eyelashes fluttered as his smile lit up everyone.
There was a flash, and a file was transferred.
“What did he just do?” Anna said as she seized a copy of the file.
“Relax, Anna, he only sending a contact package,” Lisa said as she listened in on Mark.
Anna wouldn't 'just relax.' Mark was working on a deadly project. He shouldn't be flirting with others. But when she cracked the file open she found a contact file. Saying if she wanted to play she would have to contact his owner. It came with lots of info, and some basic rules.
Then Anna looked over at what Mark was working on. He was dancing, playing loud music and flirting with people in a virtual chat room. Meanwhile, the equipment reported a forty five percent file completion. He had already broken through nine layers of encryption, and was doing this without any aid from the labs AI (it was shut down due to the file's danger to wetware matrices).
Anna finally sat down.
“I can't believe what I am seeing! How does he do that?”
Heather moved from her seat to sit by Anna, “Your father has a gift. He plays with wetware, like you play with your girlfriend. When he was working in his own lab, he'd be doing all types of things all at once. Yet he'd turn out some of the most wonderful programs for ONI. He designed and built the Series Seven AI cores and those still can't be outdone. Ship builders beg, borrow, and steal to get their hands on his AI's. He is a pretty boy. He is soooo spoiled, and yes, he is moody, but… Look at him!”
Anna looked at the display, and saw Mark dancing some more. Suddenly, he flipped up his skirt, and told some lady to kiss his ass. Lisa busted out laughing, and Christy seemed to be saving something.
“Your dad got stuck in a lab for months at a time. He wasn't allowed to go out and play, or to get away from work. So, yes, Lisa lets him party while he works. She lets him tease and sleep with whoever he pleases.”
“But he's owned! He's only suppose to do as he told, not tease others and party while he works,” said Anna.
Then Lisa expanded a screen. It was Mark in a chat room, bouncing around flirting. Another male had entered the room, and went over to Mark.
“I 'eared a pretty boy was here. I bet your mouth would look good around my cock,” the man said as he reached out to touch Mark in the chat room.
But Mark drifted away.
“Sorry, buddy; but I do not play with old men, or boys.”
The man had Lisa's attention as she ran his ID. It came back as another owned male, living not all that far from them. He had a long record of abusing others and for a rape a year ago on another male. He was trouble. At forty-six he been in and out of trouble, a lot. As she read more, she was betting a lot of his issues were the enhancements. Bigger stronger and more muscular males had come into vogue, a few years after Mark went into Stasis. It was a fashion statement by the owners, but left many males messed up with 'hormone rage' issues.
“I know where you live, pretty boy. I will be coming over, real soon.”
Mark didn't bat an eye, “You do that. Then, when you meet my owner and her brigade of six thousands fine marines, you tell them what you just said, here.”
Then Mark threw the guy out, and the others clapped their hands.
About three hours into Mark's work, he closed the chat room, and turned down the music. Then, to Anna amazement, he rolled up a shirt and lay his head down on the console where he'd been working, and fell asleep.
“He sleeping?” Anna said in surprise.
Lisa looked over at Anna, “Well considering the shape he in, and how much bouncing around he was doing, I was expecting him to take a nap long before now.”
It was coming up to sixteen hours, and it was Heather who asked the big question.
“How are we going to get him out of there?”
Lisa had a concerned look about her.
“He needs to realize, soon, that he has to eat… doesn't he.”
“This was the same problem we had back in the lab, Lisa. He loses himself in his work and doesn't eat, but what can we do?” Heather said.
“I have an idea,” Christy said with a smiled.
Twenty minutes later, a red sports car pulled up and a heavyset male got out from the driver's seat.
“Madam Bradly, Mistress Fairday sends her warmest welcome, and hopes Penny is helpful.”
Climbing out of the passenger side, was a twelve year old girl. She was very thin, with a lightly tanned skin. But what was most surprising, was her bright green eyes.
“Momma said man need help?” Penny asked.
Lisa looked over at the male who smiled back, “Penny is impaired, but she tries her best. As we discussed before, she has no wetware. My Mistress thinks it would be a waste on her.”
Christy walked over to her, “A friend of mine is working way too hard. We need you to go to him, and bring him to us, so he can eat.”
After passing a few check points in the ship, everyone stood at the lab's main doors.
“Now, Penny, you will need to take hold of his hand, and walk him back out here. No matter what he says, do not let him get away.”
Lisa touched a lock pad and it scanned her bio-print the large doors unsealed and opened and everyone was suddenly assaulted by lots of bass from the loud music. Anna couldn't even hear herself think, much less focus on anything. Penny walked in like it was nothing at all.
Unknown to Anna and the other women outside the lab, Mark had set up a sound field that would make it impossible for people with wetware to just walk in. Mark hadn't planned on how to keep someone without wetware, out.
Penny walked around the lab. She'd been told Mark was the only person in there. But finding just one person, in a large lab filled with equipment, wasn't easy for her. After wandering around a bit, she found him.
Penny watched as Mark danced in the lights. He was having a great time. But unlike Roger, the man her mom had taking care of her, Mark was tiny. He was pretty, and he sure the hell looked like he'd be more fun to play with than Roger.
Then Mark saw her, and suddenly the whole lab was plunged into utter blackness. Penny screamed in fear.
“Who are you, and what are you doing here?” came from all around her.
“Mommy's friend said to find the man in here, and tell him he needs to come out. Can you please turn on the lights? It's really scary in here!”
Mark sat on the floor, with his back to the console, typing away on a tablet. While this girl couldn't see a thing, the lab's cameras could see even in pitch black darkness. Mark pulled up all her info, and stared at the smiling face on her ident. She was twelve years old, but had the IQ of a six-year-old. She couldn't be in here to hurt him.
“Please, Mister? Please turn on the lights? I'm frightened,” Penny whined in the dark.
“Illume, standard,” Mark said.
The lights slowly brightened to normal, and Mark stood up and looked over at the girl.
She smiled back at him and ran over. As soon as was beside him, she grabbed his hand.
“Hey, what you doing?” Mark said.
Penny might be just twelve, and have an even lower IQ, but she was still a female! She was just as tall as Mark, but had about twenty pounds on him. When her hand locked around Mark's wrist, he flinched from how her hand pinched him.
“Nice lady said to bring you out, no matter if you wanted to or not,” she said, and started to drag Mark as she walked back to the main doors.
The doors opened, and everyone who was waiting covered their ears at the noise, until the doors resealed. Heather quickly locked the doors shut and set a security code, preventing anyone from accidentally entering the lab.
Lisa rushed to Mark, and starting checking him over. Penny just stood there. Christy walked over to Penny, and passed her a piece of candy.
“Man made it all dark and scary in there.”
“I think you scared him, more,” Christy answered. “You did great, kiddo.”
“You, little man, are going to eat something!” Lisa told Mark as he rubbed his sore wrist.
“But I wasn't finished,” he whined.
Lisa smiled, “I know, but you have been working for sixteen hours. You are going to get something to eat and some real sleep.”
“I don't need more sleep, I need to get back and finish with Night Fire,” Mark said, and everyone froze for a split second.
“What did you call it, Mark?” Heather asked first.
“'Night Fire.' It was an Army INSCOM (Army Intelligence and Security Command) project. The virus program is one of theirs.”
Lisa's expression changed, and suddenly Mark was lifted off the deck, and carried away. They left the others gathering themselves, and trying to catch up. Lisa didn't say a word as she entered the Non-Com's barracks, aboard the ship.
Walking up to the Master Gunnery Sergeant she said, “Master Gunnery Sergeant, I am leaving Mark here in your troops' care. He is not to leave the barracks. He needs to eat and get some sleep.”
Master Gunnery Sergeant Willis stood at attention and replied, “Madam, this isn't a proper place for a male to be.”
“Are you saying a young male wouldn't be safe in your troopers' care?”
The MGS swallowed hard as she said, “Of course he will be safe with my ladies, Madam, but we do not have billeting for a male, here.”
Lisa smiled, “Master Gunnery Sergeant, I need to hold him someplace 'off the radar' for the night.”
Becky looked over at Mark, and he smiled back at her. “I guess if he doesn't mind sharing a rack, we could find him someplace for tonight.”
Lisa looked down at Mark and said, “Remember the protocols, and have some fun. I will be back in the morning.”