Space Invaders

by Amber Kell

  Above the ground itself things weren’t much better. Clouds of gas stretched across the sky as far as the eye could see. The fabled blue sky of a time long past was hidden from view, perhaps forever. Only the slightly different hue to the gas clouds near the horizon indicated the sun had risen in the sky today.

  “First time?”

  AJ jumped at the sound of the deep, rich voice behind him and spun round to see a strikingly handsome man leaning against the glass. Short, neatly trimmed black hair told AJ immediately the man had more by way of credits than he did. AJ’s scraggly brown hair had rarely seen a pair of scissors. Only those with funds to spare wasted credits getting their hair styled. The brown-eyed male smiled sadly and nodded out the window.

  “You look as though you’ve never seen the devastation before.”

  “I haven’t,” AJ admitted. “I thought there’d be something out there though. Empty and abandoned buildings or something.”

  The stranger shook his head. “The underground facilities were all constructed far away from major towns and cities. The governments didn’t want to risk them being destroyed by direct hits from weapons during the war, so they built the caverns out in the middle of nowhere. Considering how many cities were levelled during the war, they certainly made the right choice.”

  AJ felt ignorant as the man explained. Something of his shame must have shown in his expression because he offered him a sympathetic smile.

  “Lab rat, huh?”

  “Yeah.” AJ didn’t see any point in denying the obvious. His worn and dirty clothes made it pointless to pretend to be anything else. He felt awkward next to the neatly dressed stranger. Was everyone at the party going to be decently clothed apart from him? He had washed up as Landon had ordered, but the employment agent had mentioned nothing about changing his clothing.

  “You’re a long way from the labyrinth up here.”

  AJ stiffened and straightened his back. “I’m here to work.”

  The man raised his hands and laughed. “I don’t care if you’re supposed to be here or not. I’m just making conversation.”

  AJ let himself breathe again. “I’m waiting tables at a private party.”

  “Me too,” the stranger said. “We’re probably going to the same one. I’m Ryder.”

  “AJ4982.” He stuck out his hand for Ryder to shake, wondering if his true name and number would get the reaction it usually did from those who lived outside of the labyrinth. Only the lowest members of society had initials with numbers attached instead of proper names.

  Ryder didn’t bat an eyelid as he smiled and took AJ’s hand in a firm grip. “Nice to meet you, AJ.”

  AJ offered a tentative smile back as the elevator came to a smooth halt. Ryder apparently knew where to go, so AJ followed him through the doors and into what seemed to be the main function room for the party. AJ stumbled to a halt as he took in his surroundings with wide-eyed wonder. The tower dwellers didn’t have to worry about electricity outages. The room had light and air conditioning and comforts the lab rats could only dream about. No dust from the tunnels to choke you, no dark corners for creatures to lurk in and no food that looked as though it had rotted a year ago. The tower dwellers had the best of everything and most of the luxury was right here in front of his eyes. A few of the guests had already arrived and were talking near one of the windows. None of them gave AJ and Ryder a second glance.

  “This way,” Ryder said. He stood waiting for AJ in a doorway. “You’ll need to change into your uniform.”

  “Uniform?” AJ hadn’t been provided with any uniform. He owned no clothes except those he wore and a similar outfit of rags stored down in the tiny cave he shared with his siblings in the labyrinth. Why didn’t Landon warn me?

  “They’re in here,” Ryder explained. “The agency always sends a load in various sizes ready for the workers who turn up. They won’t give them to you before you get here in case you sell them and don’t show up to do the actual job.”

  AJ nodded in understanding and relief as he hurried after Ryder. The crowded room he entered was filled with waiters and waitresses, many lab rats like himself, changing into their neat black and white uniforms. Across the far side of the room, AJ caught the hint of a flicker of red and he watched as one of the young men put a familiar-looking red collar round his neck.

  “We’d better make haste,” Ryder said. “The rest of the guests will be arriving any moment.” He pointed AJ towards a spare hook on the wall and AJ hurried to change into a pair of snug black pants and a crisp white shirt. The fit wasn’t perfect, but the same could be said for his regular clothes. They would do for the night. He hung up his tatty clothes and patted the pocket with the collar inside. He still wasn’t sure if he wanted to put it on or not. Maybe he could return later once he had made up his mind.

  “Don’t leave anything valuable with your clothes,” Ryder whispered. “Have you got your credit band on?”

  AJ showed his wrist and the band he never removed. Everyone in their world had one and the thin metal strap showed immediately how many credits they had at any given time. By aligning two bands together, transactions could take place with just a few clicks of a button. AJ would no sooner have taken the credit band off than he would have hacked off his own arm.

  On the opposite side of the changing room he saw another collar, this one blue, round the neck of a waitress. He scanned the room and counted four collared staff members altogether. As well as the waiter with the red collar, there were three waitresses, one wearing blue and two wearing red. No men wore a blue collar and he couldn’t see any silver collars at all.

  AJ felt the collar in his pocket. If it were as valuable as Landon said, and AJ had no reason to doubt him, he couldn’t leave it in the changing room. But could he put it on and offer himself to the guests? If he were to put the strip of fabric round his neck he would be the only man with a blue collar at the party. He would stand out from the rest. Should any homosexual men present be looking to pay for sexual favours he would be the only man offering them.

  The decision made, he grabbed the collar from his pocket and quickly fastened it round his neck before he could change his mind.

  When he looked up again he saw Ryder watching him carefully. AJ glared at him, daring him to say anything about the collar. Ryder remained silent, but AJ thought he caught a hint of disapproval in his eyes. He forced himself not to care. He hadn’t come here to make friends. He had only come to the party to earn the credits for the pharmacist. Ryder could think what the hell he liked.

  Chapter Two

  Waiting on the guests at the party wasn’t the hardest job in the world. AJ was handed a tray, given strict orders not to sample the delicacies, and sent to circulate amongst the guests. His instructions were to return to the kitchens when the tray was empty and collect another. Since the gathering was a private party there was no exchange of credits, except for those who, like AJ, intended to make a few more credits on the side.

  AJ caught the appreciative glances in his direction from several men as he wove his way through the room. Looking didn’t earn him credits though, and some time passed before any of the men decided to take him up on his silent offer. A lean, pale-skinned man with a piercing green gaze waved him over as he wove his way round the tables.

  “How much?” he asked.

  AJ smiled even as his stomach flipped. This was his last chance to back out. He could say he didn’t know what the man was talking about and the collar was merely an accessory to his outfit. He could still change his mind about going through with this.

  “What did you have in mind?” he asked as he stalled for time.

  “I want you to get on your knees and suck me,” the man replied. “How much do you charge for the pleasure?”

  AJ suddenly realised he hadn’t thought about figures at all. Even though he had been told he could set his own prices, he hadn’t given Landon’s advice on pricing any consideration at all. “Ten credits,” he said, plucking the random figu
re out of thin air. It would double his wages for the evening if his offer were accepted.

  “Deal,” the man said immediately.

  In the mirror across the room AJ saw his collar stop flashing and the lights turned static. “Where do you want to go?” AJ asked.

  “I’m comfortable right here,” the man replied with a grin as he undid the buttons of his trousers and pulled out his cock.

  AJ glanced round the room nervously. He had seen a couple of the others wearing collars slip out of the main room with their pick-ups. He hadn’t seen anyone doing anything in public, as this man suggested.

  “Do you charge more for voyeuristic displays?” the man asked as he slowly stroked his length. “I find it quite a turn on to have someone else watch.”

  AJ didn’t know what to say. His first trick didn’t wait for him to answer his question before he made his own suggestion.

  “How about an extra two credits for each person watching?”

  AJ glanced round the room and counted a dozen people lingering in the vicinity, not including the staff. He set aside his tray, nodded and dropped to his knees. He just wanted to get this over with. Thirty-four credits would go a long way to getting the medicine. As long as he kept thinking about his goal, he could go through with this.

  At least the man appeared to be clean, AJ considered as he took the mushroomed head between his lips. Down in the labyrinth, where no one could ever get completely rid of the dust, it was unusual to seek pleasure in such a manner. On the rare occasions AJ took another man’s cock into his mouth he made sure he hurried and had always been relieved to end things. This time the experience was different in more ways than one. The man, whose name he didn’t even know, had washed and shaved his genitals, and he was paying AJ to pleasure him. AJ had to make the blow job good for the man or risk making nothing else the rest of the night. He just hoped his lack of experience didn’t show.

  He sucked slowly and deliberately on the head, tasting the essence of the other man as his seed coated his tongue. He used his hand to stroke the flesh his mouth couldn’t take. Hand jobs were more familiar territory and his fingers expertly sought out the most sensitive spots.

  AJ heard the man moan loudly above him, as well as a couple of catcalls from other guests. He tried to shut out the voyeurs. He’d never get through this if he didn’t block out everything else. Normally, his own dick would be straining for attention by now. Instead the flesh hung limp between his legs, barely even interested in the proceedings.

  Hands gripped his head, tugging his hair roughly, and the man bucked his hips, fucking AJ’s mouth hard. AJ’s eyes watered and he squeezed them shut. When the man shot his load down his throat a few moments later AJ swallowed back his tears along with the cum. He felt shame such as he had never known it before. Even as one of the lowest members of society, and someone who was looked down on most of the time, he had never felt as dirty and humiliated as he did right now.

  When it was all over AJ pulled back and wiped his mouth on his sleeve.

  The green-eyed man gazed down at him and dragged him up by the wrist. “Thirty four credits, and I’ll give you an extra one for swallowing. Most whores spit it out.”

  AJ watched his own credit band jump from the previous count of four credits, all he had left this morning, to thirty nine. Even with the ten he’d get at the end of the night for waiting on the guests his target was still a long way off.

  The transaction completed, AJ picked up his tray and continued his circuit round the room. He imagined he could feel the gazes of the other guests on him, judging him for what he had done. His tray had been emptied while he had been sucking off the guest and he hurried to the kitchen to get a fresh one, relieved to escape the judgemental glances for even a couple of minutes.

  When he returned to the main room he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His lips were slightly swollen, but other than that there was nothing to mark him as the whore he now was. Nothing except the collar anyway. He fingered the strip of fabric. Now that the contract had been fulfilled the lights flashed once again. He was apparently open for business once more.

  Two rounds with the tray later, AJ found himself approached by a second man. This one, middle-aged and with a bit of a belly on him, wanted to go to one of the private rooms for a hand job. AJ, glad to escape the crowd for a few minutes, agreed with relief.

  When AJ returned to the main room—five credits richer—he passed one of the collared women going into the room next to the one he had just exited.

  “Two hundred credits to fuck me, seventy-five for your friend to watch.”

  The man laughed. “Ash can wait outside, unless he wants to pay himself.”

  They disappeared behind the closed door while AJ stood rooted to the spot in shock. The waitress was about to make two hundred credits in just a few minutes. AJ needed to be charging those sorts of prices. This could all be over within a few hours if he could command as many credits as the waitress did. Unfortunately, no one had offered to pay him for sex. He realised he would have to put himself out there if he had any hope of getting the credits he needed so desperately.

  When he picked up his tray and continued his duties he made much more of an effort to chat and flirt with every man who gave him a second glance. Eventually he seemed to get a bite.

  “What are you offering?” a blond Adonis asked with a sly smile. “And I’m not talking about the rubbish on the tray.”

  AJ didn’t consider any of the food he served to be rubbish, but he pasted a flirtatious smile on his face and perched on the arm of the Adonis’ chair. “Depends on how much you want to spend.”

  “How about you tell me your prices and we’ll see if I can afford you?” He laughed with amusement at the idea of not being able to afford something AJ had on offer.

  Recalling the woman’s prices, AJ hoped he wasn’t raising his own too high when he replied.

  “Twenty-five credits for a hand job, fifty for a blow job. I’ll fuck you for one hundred credits. One hundred credits on top if you want to get off in public.”

  “You only charged Pablo ten credits for a blow job,” the blond pointed out with another sly grin. “Why am I charged more?”

  AJ shrugged. “Inflation.”

  The Adonis roared with laughter. “That’s some rate of inflation you have going there. But you missed something off your list.”

  “You asked what’s on offer. I’ve told you what I’m offering.”

  “What if I wanted to fuck you?”

  AJ looked away. He’d never let anyone take him before, always preferring to be the one on top during intercourse.

  “Come on, what do you charge for that?” the man pressed.

  “Five hundred credits,” AJ replied firmly. The figure would be far too high for any man to pay for the pleasure of fucking him. Even the waitress only charged two hundred credits, and she seemed to know what she was doing.

  The Adonis whistled shrilly. “That’s pretty steep. Has anyone ever paid your price?”

  “No.”

  The Adonis looked at him steadily for a few moments. “Has anyone been buried inside this pretty arse at all?” he asked as he ran his hand over AJ’s rear.

  “No,” AJ admitted. His face flushed at his admission.

  “A virgin arse,” the Adonis commented quietly. “There are many men here who’d pay five hundred credits or even more for the pleasure.”

  “I doubt it,” AJ said.

  “How about we put that to the test?”

  “What do you mean?” AJ’s stomach did another flip-flop. He had a feeling he might be getting in over his head.

  “An auction.”

  “You can’t be serious?”

  “Why not?” The man tapped AJ’s credit band meaningfully. “You clearly need the credits or you wouldn’t be here offering yourself at all.”

  “No one would pay five hundred credits just to fuck another man.”

  “To fuck the tight hole of a virgin they would.�
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  “Then they have more credits than common sense.”

  The Adonis pulled back his shirt sleeve to reveal his own credit band. He had more credits than AJ’s entire family would see in a lifetime.

  “What’s your name, gorgeous?”

  “AJ.”

  “Let’s find out, shall we then, AJ?”

  AJ watched with astonishment as the blond stood up and called the room to attention.

  “It seems we have a novelty here tonight,” he said. “A virgin arse on offer for the highest bidder. What do you say to an auction, boys?”

  The crowd turned to look at AJ. His face flushed and he half-hoped the floor would open up and swallow him. What had he let himself in for?

  “How do we know he’s really a virgin?” one of the men shouted. “He’s been sucking cock like a pro tonight.”

  AJ glared at the man who dared to insinuate he’d lie about his anal virginity.

  “If he turns out to be lying, AJ will only accept his starting bid of five hundred credits as payment.”

  “Hey!” AJ interrupted. He wasn’t sure he liked the way this was going.

  “You said you’d charge five hundred before you admitted you’d never let anyone fuck you before. Even if the winner claims you lied, you still get your asking price.”

  “You’re missing the point.”

  “Damn right,” another man added. “I wouldn’t pay five hundred credits to fuck anyone, least of all some lab rat whore.”

  “Then don’t bid on him,” the blond stated simply. “In fact, you can take over the auction, okay?”

  The man stepped forward and took centre stage. “Fine, who wants to start the bidding at five hundred credits?”