Life had changed dramatically at Handleman Farms in the weeks following the court case to decide the fate of Val. The change in the once disruptive bull after its operation had been immediate and remarkable. The slave now was docile and childlike. It followed every command it was given. It had no reaction to joy or sadness. It woke up, quietly ate its food, spent a quiet day in its milking chair, and then ended its day like the rest of the slaves. The only major problem was its exercise routine. It could handle lifting weights, but it had to be watched at all times. With the mind of a toddler, it could not comprehend the dangers of the heavy implements, but with direction and supervision from the technician slaves, it performed better than expected.
Lewis was beyond pleased. The greatest obstacle to harmony at his facility was removed, and Val's sperm production even seemed to increase slightly in the days after its return. Even its fellow slaves were generally happy with the slave who returned. All of them except Titan, who seemed shocked and horrified at what had been done.
"Personally, I am glad the fucker had its mind cut out," Hammer said to Titan as they played cards at night. "Good riddance to bad garbage."
"I just can't," Titan replied.
"Can't what?" Atlas asked.
"I agree that Val was a bastard," Titan said to its friends. "But did it deserve to be killed?"
"It's just in the stall down the way," Hammer replied. "It's breathing the last time I saw."
"That is not Val," Titan replied. "Val died. That is a three-year-old in an adult body."
"So?" Atlas asked.
"So," Titan replied as it put its cards down. "Doesn't that make you think about its slavery contract? Is it the same individual that was sold into slavery, or is it something else now?"
Its two slave friends paused for a moment.
"It is still the same individual," Hammer replied.
"Is it?" Titan asked. "Tell me honestly, Hammer. When you look into those cow eyes of Val, do you see the same slave that was here a few weeks ago?"
"Titan," Atlas said as it grabbed the slave's wrist. "You need to stop."
"Stop?" Titan asked.
"Yes," Atlas replied. "You have been depressed for weeks."
"Ever since you got to say goodbye to your cousin," Hammer added.
"Guys, I..." Titan began.
"You need to stop," Atlas repeated. "You have a term contract. You will go home in nine years. Focus on that. You have a life ahead of you. Cee wanted you to have a future and enjoy it. Worrying about Val or your cousin or anyone else jeopardizes that."
Titan closed its eyes and took a deep breath.
"I hear you. I just..."
"I know," Hammer replied. "We know you. You have a soft heart. But this is not a place for a soft heart."
"This is a place for a cold one," Atlas replied. "You've survived eleven years. You can survive another nine."
Titan nodded.
"Okay, fellas. I hear ya."
"And you have us, right?" Atlas asked.
"Yeah," Titan said with a smile.
"Another round?" Hammer asked, holding up the cards.
Titan nodded.
"Another round."
###
Across town, the inside of the barn where Gimp, Nutless, and Cee lived was buttoned up tight against the cold of February as the night deepened. It was after ten in the evening. Gimp, who had been milked several times and then bred twice by Frank, had passed out hours ago, its light snores echoing in the vast space that contained the slaves' stalls. Only a solitary light illuminated the space. It came from Cee's living area, from a small lamp that it kept on the table next to its bed.
Cee was sitting on the edge of its cot. Its enormous feet were planted squarely on the ground, and its head was cradled in its hands. It had been having difficulty getting to sleep for weeks now. Its eyes were closed, and it was listening to the building occasionally creak and groan, the massive beams holding steady against a cold front moving in but still registering their protest.
"Hey," came a soft voice.
Cee lifted its head and saw Nutless in the threshold of its stall.
"Can't get to sleep?"
"Nah," Cee replied as it cracked its neck. "Can't get my brain to shut off."
"You want to talk?" Nutless asked.
Cee chuckled softly to itself.
"Who are you and what happened to that bitch of a slave that used to cuss me out?"
"It died," Nutless replied. "Along with its former friends."
"Sorry," Cee said. "I forgot you have been through a lot recently, too."
"All good, Alpha," Nutless said. "But I was also being serious."
"Yeah," Cee replied as it lifted itself into a standing position. "I think I am gonna smoke some pot. Sometimes it helps."
"I can join you," Nutless replied. "If you will let me."
Cee smiled and reached out to pat Nutless's shoulder.
"Come on," Cee replied as it moved towards the staircase that led up to the upper loft. "I'll show you where I keep the good stuff.
The two slaves moved quietly. Their bare soles padded against the dirt and concrete, careful not to wake Gimp as they moved to the back of the barn and then up the wooden staircase. The boards occasionally creaked, causing Nutless to hesitate for a few moments as they ascended, but once they reached the top floor, the bales of hay there absorbed most of the ambient noise.
"So, where is this secret stash of yours, Alpha Cee?" Nutless asked with a grin.
Cee didn't answer at first. Instead, it stalked the perimeter of the loft, the boards under its feet muted by the dense bedding of hay. It paused by a stack near a west-facing window and crouched, making a production of digging through the loose straw. The window was cracked just enough for a stripe of cold air to snake in, carrying with it the sharp scent of manure and the ozone tang of a coming freeze.
"Here," Cee said without looking up. It knocked a loose board away from the hay bale and reached into a black cavity that looked like a nest. From it, it fished a battered wooden box, something that once might have held cigars, now repurposed. The hinges groaned as Cee popped it open. Inside were four hand-rolled joints, tight and uniform, wrapped in a page torn from an old piece of wrapping paper. Cee took a measured moment to smell the contents, savoring the ritual, before selecting two and nudging one towards Nutless.
"Here you go," Cee said.
Nutless accepted and sniffed it, eyes narrowing. "Does smell good."
Cee just smiled.
They settled into three uneven stools near the window. The seat wobbled under Nutless, forcing it to plant its feet wide and lean forward, elbows on knees. Cee sat opposite, back to the slats, eyes scanning the barn below where Gimp's snores gurgled from the dark. The lamp from Cee's bunk barely reached this high. Here, their faces were hollows and reflections, animated only by the occasional flick from the lighter.
The first hit was always the sweetest. Cee shielded the tip with a cupped hand, flicked the lighter, and inhaled deeply, the flare splashing brief color onto its cheek. It held the smoke, eyes watering, and let it out with a low, satisfied hum. Nutless followed, less graceful, a harsh drag, a shallow cough, then a second, steadier pull.
"Damn," Nutless managed around a second cough, "that's good stuff."
Cee just grinned, teeth pale in the dark. "It knocks you sideways if you aren't careful."
Nutless nodded, working the joint to a slow, smoldering ember. "Ever share it with Cubby?" it asked.
"Once," Cee replied, shaking its head at the memory. "Cubby got so high it tried to talk to the feed mixer for an hour. Wouldn't shut up about the voices coming from the auger."
Nutless's laughter was a low, shuddering thing, but it worked its way up until even Cee was smiling, the tension of the day thawing in increments.
"Cubby just needs to build its tolerance," Nutless said, eyes shiny from the laughter.
The two slaves smoked in silence for several minutes before Cee finally spoke.
"You haven't talked much about what happened in court."
"Yeah," Nutless replied as it breathed smoke above its head and scratched its eyebrow. "If you haven't noticed, I am not good at talking about feelings."
"Never would have guessed," Cee replied with a grin.
Nutless rolled its eyes and chuckled.
"The gang you were in," Cee said. "That was your family, right?"
"Was," Cee replied as it slumped forward and looked at the end of the smoking joint. "Len and Ralph... I'm sorry, Alpha. I don't know... didn't know their slave names."
"It's okay, Nutless," Cee said. "Go on."
"I was a bad egg from a young age," Nutless continued as it took another long drag and released it. "Never had the proper discipline to set me right. I met Len and Ralph in what you would call a house for delinquents."
"I take it you didn't learn much there," Cee replied.
"Didn't stick around long enough to," Nutless replied. "Len was the brains of our little group. Ralph was the muscle, and I... I was the one who helped get things done."
"I see," Cee replied.
"It was Len's idea to escape from the place," Nutless replied. "None of us liked to be caged, to be honest. Though, in hindsight, it probably would have saved a lot of lives, including our own."
"When did things turn serious?" Cee asked, leaning back and stretching out its legs.
"We were still teenagers," Nutless replied. "Damn hormones got the best of us. Ralph's sex drive was insatiable, as was his anger. I loved him, you know. Len too. They were like my brothers. But Ralph... he scared me sometimes. When he was in a rage, you could see he was nothing but an animal behind those eyes of his. The fact that we never killed anyone outright is amazing."
"But you hurt a lot of people," Cee said.
"Yeah," Nutless replied. "It wasn't just the women that they convicted us of assaulting. We raped a lot of women. We stole. We beat people up. We sold drugs that put people in the hospital. It was all about the money and the power. We didn't care about anything else... Ralph especially. He was a sadistic beast."
"What about Len?" Cee asked.
"Len was smart," Nutless replied as it finished its joint and ground the remnants into the wooden floor. "A savant, really. He could have been so great had he been born into the right family. Crazy skills in chemistry. He knew how to formulate drugs that would work in ways that amazed me. But surprisingly, he hated brutal violence. Hated it."
"Really?" Cee asked as it finished its joint and blew the last bits of smoke into the air.
"I saw how much it hurt him when we tied up or beat people," Nutless replied. "He was no saint. He raped girls, too. But never first. It was a group dynamic thing. I think he felt pressure from Ralph and I. He was terrified of Ralph, too, but he idolized him. He was like a puppy. He just needed someone to follow."
"I am sorry, Nutless," Cee said. "I don't have sympathy for them. But, I am sorry you carry that pain of losing them."
"Listen," Nutless said as it stretched. "Master and Lord say we have to forget the past. Right?"
"They were special to you, though," Cee replied. "Yes, we need to let the past go, but forget it?"
"Ralph, I can live with," Nutless said after a long pause, the words soft but strangely steady. "He was my friend, but the fucker knew he wouldn't live long. Even when we were free, he was always burning himself out from the inside. His soul died years ago. Long before the State took him. But his body's still kicking. They haven't managed to destroy that yet. All that sperm they're draining out of his balls nowadays, maybe it'll go towards some medical science, or breed up some monsters for the next generation. I don't care. That's the only kind of immortality he would want. But Len..."
Cee didn't interrupt. It just chewed on the tip of its tongue, watching the other slave as Nutless idly ran a finger along the windowsill. The silence in the barn deepened, interrupted only by the dull, rumbling snores from Gimp below.
"Len was different," Nutless went on, voice thinner now. "Sure, he would go along with what Ralph wanted, but it was never him driving or initiating it. He hated the violence. Hated seeing the aftermath. I saw how fitfully he slept when we were especially bad. He was the kind of guy that would always patch you up after a fight, even if you were the one who deserved the hit. When he got arrested, I thought at least the system would see that. Maybe break us up, but let him off easier. But they didn't care. To them, we were the same thing. A pack. One animal, three bodies."
Cee looked out the window, as if searching for some perspective in the dead grass and muddy areas outside. "You said he committed suicide, didn't you?"
"That is what they said," Nutless replied. "They said he killed a sex worker, severely hurt a guard, and then just walked out and let the implant in his neck trigger. But fuck that. I know better. Len wasn't a killer." Nutless's jaw flexed, the bone sharp against the scarred skin. "He couldn't even finish a deer. I watched him freak out after we hit one with a truck. 'What if it suffered?' he kept saying. He buried it in the woods. Like, he actually dug a grave for a fucking deer."
Cee considered this, then shrugged. "The State can make anyone into anything, if it wants."
"Not Len," Nutless insisted. "You never met him, so that you wouldn't know. But I swear, even if they pushed him to the edge, he would jump before he hurt someone else. I saw it in his eyes the day we got arrested. He was tired of the violence. Tired of the hate. Tired of the pain he had caused. He was the only person I ever met who didn't want to see the world bleed." The joint in Nutless's hand crumbled to ash as it pinched it too hard. "He dreamed about being a scientist, you know that? Used to sketch out formulas in the dirt. He thought he would cure things. Save lives. Not end up as a one-line fuck-up in the newsfeed."
Cee got up, dusting hay from its thighs, and crossed the narrow gap to sit closer. "You ever think about it?"
"About what?" Nutless asked.
"You know," Cee replied, holding his fingers to his head and gesturing.
"About eating it?" Nutless replied, voice cracking for the first time since they had started talking.
Cee nodded.
"Yeah," Nutless replied as it reached down and felt the coldness of its bloated sack, the hard implants inside, and the useless cock that was permanently limp over them. "Especially after my manhood was taken away."
"Yes, well..." Cee began.
"Alpha," Nutless interrupted. "I deserved it. Being castrated and humiliated was me getting off light. The people I hurt deserved my death. What I am saying is that it makes sense that I would consider it. But not Len."
Cee saw a tear in Nutless's eye.
"It doesn't make any damn sense!" Nutless groaned.
"We will probably never know the whole story, Nutless," Cee said softly. "But at least Len is at peace now, and you know the fate of both of your friends."
"And your cousin knows your fate," Nutless replied.
Cee looked uncomfortable.
"Alpha, Cubby and I both know you are hurting. We have seen it in your eyes the past few weeks. You think you are strong, and you are, but being a slave doesn't take away your humanity. Not fully."
"I know," Cee said.
"At least your cousin will one day be free," Nutless said. "That is a powerful thing to hold onto. One day, he will be out in the free world, having babies and talking to them about his favorite cousin. Hell, maybe he will name one of his kids after you."
Cee smiled. "You have a vivid imagination. You know that, right?"
Nutless chuckled. "Not an imagination. It is a possible future. And you know it. You had a chance to make your peace. You had a chance to close the book on your former life. That is powerful, Alpha. I mean that."
"Can you imagine what his wife will think of his nuts?" Cee replied, gesturing with his hands. "I am not joking, Nutless. They were... massive."
"I've seen how much Cubby's have grown and it shoots a ton of cum," Nutless said with a smile.
"Lord you should see how much Patrick... I mean, Titan... how much Titan shoots. It is unnatural."
"Your cousin is going to be okay," Nutless said after they shared a laugh. "You know that, right? And you will be okay."
"I know, just wish things could have been different," Cee said with a nod. "I am grateful to Master and Lord for allowing me to spend some time with Titan. For a brief moment, I remembered what it was like to have a real family."
"Well, forget us, then," Nutless teased.
Cee rolled its eyes. "You know what I mean, bitch."
"I do," Nutless replied. "To be honest, I needed you in my life."
"Liked my dick that well, eh?" Cee said.
Nutless smirked. "Yes, well, let's just say you have a way of getting a slave's attention."
"Thank you," Cee said with pride.
"And so humble," Nutless added.
"Nutless, I would not have done that to you if our Lord had not commanded it," Cee said. "I mean, at the time I wanted to punish you, too. I was pissed when I heard about your crimes. But, if I had not been commanded to fuck you that first time..."
"I know, Alpha," Nutless replied. "And as I said, I needed it. I needed to be broken. I needed a dominant figure to ring my bell and get me in line. Master and Lord are two such figures, but you did your part in your own way. I do mean it when I say that I needed you. Not in a gay way or anything, you know, but..."
"I know, Nutless," Cee said. "And don't think of it in terms of sexuality. It is more than that."
"I know," Nutless replied. "But, you know what I mean."
"You have made a lot of progress. You know what you said earlier is true."
"Huh?" Nutless asked.
"The man that was named Jed is dead," Cee said, surprising Nutless that it remembered its original name. "Jed died and was buried when you buried your balls. The slave before me is nothing like that criminal. The slave before me is one I am proud to have in my pack... in my family."
Nutless smiled and held out its hand. "Thanks, Alpha."
Cee held out its hand and shook Nutless's.
"Anytime, Omega."
Nutless laughed as it sat back.
"Closure is a bitch, isn't it?" Cee said with a half-chuckle.
"But it will lead to healing," Nutless replied. "At least that is what I was always told. Reality is..."
"More complicated?" Cee asked.
Nutless now chuckled and rubbed its head. "Fuck, that pot is potent."
"Feeling it?" Cee asked with a broad grin.
"Fuck yes!" Nutless said.
"Thanks, Nutless," Cee said after they fell silent for a few moments. "For listening."
"Cubby and I are your family now, too," Nutless said. "We are all permanent slaves. As long as we are here together, we have to rely on each other. That means for mental health, too. Okay?"
Cee nodded. "Yeah. You are right."
"You ready for bed?" Nutless asked.
Cee laughed. "Yeah, I don't know what else I could do to relax more."
"Need a blowjob?" Nutless asked with a grin.
"I know you are joking, but I appreciate the offer nonetheless," Cee replied.
Nutless smiled. "One of these days you will actually take me up on these offers, and I'll have to stop joking around."
Cee winked. "One of these days."
***
In Dallas, in a building located near the main commercial district, Jeff Allen Kennedy sat behind a desk. He wore a tight-fitting t-shirt that framed his muscled chest, which was starting to show more definition now that his personal trainer had been pushing him more. His beard and chest hair had lengthened and filled in thanks to some treatments from his primary care doctor, and he took pride in his well-groomed features. His former slave tattoos were a thing of the past, and in the place of the one that used to grace his right arm, a colorful design of a massive, hung bull with the word "Resilient" caught the afternoon light. His jeans, made specifically for former milking slaves, were cut to show off his powerful legs and ample package without being obscene. He had even learned to wear tennis shoes again.
In almost every way, he was a different man now. But the trauma he suffered still made its mark. After his escape from the brothel, he had been impotent for months, but through counseling and help from his physician, he had begun to find pleasure in sex again. Erectile dysfunction pills helped, but what truly gave him his confidence back was his fiance, Jenny. They had met at a bar, and she had been patient, kind, and had shown him what true love could be. Only two weeks ago, they had found out she was pregnant, and he was looking forward to starting a new life with her.
Jeff stared at the pack of cigarettes on his desk and instinctively reached up to his left arm to feel the nicotine patch he had started to use. He tossed the pack in the trash and sighed. The cravings were beginning to fade. He no longer needed anything to deaden his senses. He knew what real pain was like now. Nothing could ever compare to that again.
"Hi, Sir!" came the voice of a man.
Jeff looked up and smiled. The man looked disheveled. He was hairless with prominent tattoos on his limbs and a massive bulge in his jogging shorts. His tank top was soiled, but at least it appeared he had showered.
"Take a seat, John," Jeff said, pointing in front of his desk. "And call me Jeff. You aren't a slave anymore."
"Oh, right!" John replied as he slowly sat, trying to avoid sitting on his balls. "I keep forgetting, Sir. I mean... shit!"
"It's okay," Jeff replied with a smile. "It takes a while. I know."
When John could finally sit, he folded his arms and leaned on the desk. His leg bounced, and his flip-flop ricocheted off the concrete floor. Jeff reached out and placed his hand on the man's wrist.
"Hey, take a deep breath for me, okay?"
"Sorry," John replied as he began to shake.
"How long has it been since your last dose of Zirtran B?" Jeff asked.
"Twenty-four hours," John admitted as he instinctively reached for his arm port. "Fuck, I need a hit so bad."
Jeff just nodded. "It's going to be rough this week, but if you are willing to put your trust in me, I'll help."
"Yeah?" John asked. "Because I don't know if I can..."
"Yes," Jeff interrupted. "You can do this. I know because I did it. You have to believe in yourself. We have a room ready for you. You will have a sober roommate with you at all times who is a trained counselor. We will take things slow. We have a 95% detox success rate here."
John just nodded.
"And once you are clean, we take care of tattoo and brand removal and even treatments to restore your hair if you want," Jeff continued. "In six weeks, you will walk out of here a new man... clean and sober."
"It's just hard to believe right now, man," John replied. "I really need a fix. My balls are killing me. You know? It is almost more than I can take."
Jeff nodded. "Let's get some paperwork filled out, and then we can get you something that is safe and effective at easing those symptoms, okay?"
"And no cost?" John asked. "Because I don't have shit. I was just released last week."
"No cost," Jeff replied. "My fiance and I started this charity so we could help others. Everyone here is a former slave. We all know what you are going through. Those that complete the program and move on from here give back to us when they can. It is a way for all of us to help each other. What matters is that you know you can survive. You have a support system here. We care about you... I care about you."
John noted the emphasis that Jeff made on the last sentence. His hand shook as he looked into Jeff's eyes and nodded.
"Okay, man. Let's do it."
Jeff smiled as he started a new intake form. "Excellent. I have a great sport for you with lots of natural light. You'll be in room six in the Leonard Michaels Memorial Wing."
"Michaels? Was he someone important?" John asked.
Jeff nodded as he looked up. "Yup. He saved my life. Now, let's save yours."
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