Gearing Up

by Daniel Schinhofen

  “They are a very good investment,” Alvin replied as the board reset and started counting. “That would be Shawn.”

  A little under three minutes later, Shawn came sprinting out the exit. Alvin nodded. “Beat me by ten seconds.”

  “I forgot about the one in the tunnel,” Shawn panted, “thought for sure that cost me time.”

  The board reset, and all eyes went to it. “Who’s in there?” Milo asked.

  “Han,” Shawn said, still trying to catch his breath. “He was walking up just as I went in.”

  Han came out of the tunnel with 2:54 on the clock, and perfect on kills. Glancing at the clock, he looked at Shawn. “Did you win?”

  “Barely, but yeah,” Shawn nodded. “The ant slow you?”

  “Yeah,” Han panted, “that was devious.”

  “How did everyone do?” Karee asked.

  Shawn walked over to the exit and flipped a switch. A few seconds later he was holding several sheets of paper. “Okay. Francis, you killed two kids… what the fuck, man?”

  A weaselly looking guy shrugged. “They surprised me.”

  “Right, don’t surprise Francis,” Becky commented just loud enough to get laughs from those standing near her.

  “Karee, you finished twelfth,” Shawn said, “so you’ll be going with us.”

  Bouncing in place, Karee let out a loud cheer before running over to Becky and hugging her. “I can go!”

  “Okay, we’re returning to the Settlement. Alvin, hang back for a second, please.”

  Watching the teen girls celebrate, Alvin shook his head. As everyone else started walking away, Alvin went to see what Shawn wanted. “What’s up?”

  “I thought you might like to see the sound readings,” Shawn said, handing over one of the pages. “Middle of the page is Becky, then you.”

  Alvin took the page and gave it a good look. “Huh. I didn’t expect the suppressors and the runes to bring it down that much.”

  “Yeah. It wasn’t nearly as loud as the others, but I wanted to get hard numbers,” Shawn said. “Dropping it from a hundred sixty-two decibels to ninety-eight decibels is pretty fucking good. If I understand the runes, an upgraded Silence would take away another thirty-two, dropping it to sixty-six, about the same as a dishwasher or something similar.”

  “Hmm. An excellent quality rune of Silence would drop that down to thirty-four. What is even that quiet?” Alvin asked.

  “Library, maybe,” Shawn shrugged. “So if you wanted to make an ultra-quiet weapon, it’s possible if you use most of the rune slots for Silence.”

  “It is an idea,” Alvin said. After a brief pause, Alvin asked Shawn a question that had been bothering him. “How did you get the shooting range things built? I’m sure you can’t buy something like that now.”

  “I had it queued when the update went through. When the game updated, everything that was queued up was automatically finished,” Shawn said. “I’m glad I had it ready, because it would be a lot of work to do it now.”

  “Especially since it’s inside the hill,” Alvin chuckled.

  “Yeah, that obviously wouldn’t fly now,” Shawn said. “I’d have to build it around the back side of the hill if I wanted it done now, though a lot of the automated stuff I was able to add in after, with just a minor wiring addition. Carlson did that this morning, so now we have the board to keep score.”

  Alvin nodded. “Fair enough. Looks like there’s enough time to get a nap in before dinner, then another afterwards so we’re good for the drive and whatever else we find.”

  Shawn snorted, “Nap. Right.” His eyes flicked to Becky, who had also stayed behind.

  “Before dinner will be a nap,” Alvin chuckled.

  Shaking his head, Shawn started walking. “I don’t want to know.”

  “Fair enough,” Alvin laughed as he walked over to Becky. “Ready for that nap?”

  Eyes eager, Becky nodded. “Oh yes, a nap…”

  Chapter Twelve

  Becky was less than amused when Alvin finally woke up from his nap. “Asshole,” Becky grumbled as she lay there curled up against him. “Now let me get up and use the bathroom.”

  Brushing the hair back from her face, Alvin grinned at Becky. “You didn’t like your cuddle time?”

  “Using the collar to prevent me from doing anything but cuddling was mean.”

  “Did you enjoy it? Answer truthfully,” Alvin said firmly.

  Closing her eyes, Becky gritted her teeth. “It was wonderfully controlling. Now let me up, please.”

  “You’re free of restrictions,” Alvin chuckled and gave her a light squeeze.

  “Thank you,” Becky jumped out of bed and hurried to the small attached bathroom in the plain, grey room.

  Alvin stretched and got out of bed. Summoning his clothes, Alvin chuckled as he recalled Becky’s excitement when he’d dragged her to bed, then her look of horror when he restricted her to cuddling only.

  Becky came out of the bathroom staring at him with evil intent. “Hero… do you know what you can do to make it up to me?”

  “I will after dinner, when we take our second nap,” Alvin said as he approached her. “Until then, you’re going to be left wanting.” Pulling her into his arms, he nuzzled her neck. “Or I could wind you up even more and then order you to behave.”

  Becky moaned as he brushed his lips against her neck. “You’re evil. Fuck, you really are perfect for me.”

  Nipping her collarbone, Alvin chuckled as she gasped. Letting her go, he walked past her into the bathroom, “Go lay on the bed ass up, Gothy. I’ll be along shortly.”

  He was aware of Becky sprinting for the bed as he shut the door behind him. Leaving the bathroom a few minutes later, he found Becky completely nude on the bed wiggling her ass at him.

  “I’m ready, Hero.”

  “I can see that,” Alvin chuckled as he walked over to the bed. The scent of sex was starting to permeate the air. He could see Becky’s hands between her thighs, one teasing her clit and the other rubbing her already wet lips. “Started without me, it seems.”

  “I want it bad,” Becky panted.

  “Stop playing with yourself, right now,” Alvin commanded her.

  A whimper came from her and her hands slowly retreated from where they had been. “Hero…” The pleading in that single word was clear.

  Alvin stepped closer and brought his hand down firmly on her left ass cheek. The crack of flesh meeting flesh was loud enough to make anyone in the hallway outside the room pause for a moment.

  “Shhh, I know what you want and need, Gothy. You’re mine, in every way.”

  Shuddering, Becky cried out as the spank and his words pushed all of her buttons, putting her right on the edge of orgasm. “Again… please.”

  His next swat pulled a guttural moan from her. She hadn’t expected the paddle he pulled from his bag. Taking his time, he alternated ass cheeks as he turned it a nice pink. Becky was shaking in place as he timed the swats to keep her on the edge, but not push her over it.

  After keeping her on edge for well over ten minutes, he suddenly stopped. “You’re not allowed to play with yourself, nor are you allowed to have Karee help you. Plus, I have a little item that will help keep you in this exact state until after dinner.”

  Panting as she realized he was done and was going to leave her on edge, Becky tumbled to her side and whimpered, her eyes full of lust. “What is it?”

  “Spread your legs for me,” Alvin commanded her. He took the new item, a silicone thimble with a shooter marble tucked inside of it, and snuggled it right up against Becky’s clit. “No cumming.”

  Eyes wide as he got the toy in place, she touched her neck as the binding enforced his command. “What’s this going to do?”

  Handing Becky her underwear, he grinned. “I’ll show you. Get dressed.”

  Becky’s eyes widened slightly as she stood up to obey him. “Oh…”

  “Yup. My little helper there is going to be a mighty distraction,”
Alvin smirked. “Now the fun—if no one guesses how much distress you’re feeling all through dinner, I’ll give you a special reward.”

  Taking a few deep breaths, Becky nodded. “What if I fail?”

  “Then you miss out on the reward,” Alvin said simply as he walked to the door. “It’s a special treat, so it would be a shame if you missed it.”

  Becky walked to the door carefully, having to control her breathing even for those few steps. “Where did you learn about this?”

  “The marble? An old girlfriend. Like you, she was all about being kept on the edge.”

  Nodding, Becky went past him and started down the hall. “This is going to be a challenge.”

  “Yup, especially with the stairs,” Alvin murmured with a soft chuckle. He stayed a couple of steps behind her, watching her trying to minimize the movement of the marble. “We’ll only be able to do these kinds of things when we’re in a Settlement or our room, but I am going to be very mean to you when we are.”

  “Good to me, you mean,” Becky said, her face slightly flushed when she looked back at him.

  “Both,” Alvin agreed. “I’ll be right behind you. Mind the stairs.”

  When they finally reached the top floor, Becky was red-faced and panting. The only reason she hadn’t orgasmed was the collar preventing it. Luckily for her, no one was in the great room, so Alvin got her seated and went to get her some water. He paused to trade pleasantries with Marie and Laurel, and came back to find Becky talking with Karee.

  “Here you go,” Alvin said, handing Becky the water. “How are you, Karee?”

  “Disappointed,” Karee said. “Gothy told me that you’re going to stay hands off.”

  “Indeed,” Alvin said.

  Getting to her feet from where she had been kneeling by Becky’s feet, Karee nodded sadly. “I get it. Did you know I’ll be seventeen soon?”

  Shaking his head, Alvin didn’t rise to the bait. “So, in a little over a year, I might not get shot for touching you. That’s good to know.”

  Seeing that her tactic had worked against her, Karee pouted, “I have to go check on stuff.” She stalked off, clearly upset.

  “Hero, when we come back this way after a year has passed, maybe we can reevaluate?” Becky asked, taking his hand.

  “We’ll see, but a year is a long time. It’s been barely over a week since this all started.”

  “Didn’t expect to see you both here before dinner was called,” Shawn said as he and Kate walked into the room. “Have a good nap?”

  “I did,” Alvin chuckled.

  “He was mean to me the entire time,” Becky said, “but he promised to make up for it after dinner.”

  Shaking his head, Shawn glanced at his daughter, then back to them. “Let’s keep it clean, shall we?”

  Becky shrugged. “I was. I didn’t give any details.”

  “Anyone seen Karee?” Han asked as he came up the stairs.

  “She went outside just a minute ago,” Alvin said. “What’s up?”

  “I need to give her the XP to buy the Contracted Power, and also get her gear set up since she’s going with,” Han said, heading toward the door. “See you at dinner.”

  Becky and Alvin exchanged a quick look, unnoticed by Shawn, who was talking to his daughter. They both smirked and wondered how much Karee would soak Han for so she could get even more upgrades than he expected.

  “Dinner will be ready in five minutes,” Marie said from the kitchen doorway. “Can one of you ring the bell, please?”

  “I want to ring the bell,” Kate said, tugging on Shawn’s hand.

  “Okay, let’s go,” Shawn said and led his daughter toward the porch.

  Alvin helped Becky to her feet, then pulled a rag from his back pocket and wiped down the chair she’d been sitting in. “That’s what I thought might happen.”

  Becky’s face went red, “Oh.”

  “Dripping like a faucet,” Alvin murmured as he pulled her in for a hug. “Who’s a wanton little slut? My Gothy is.”

  Shuddering, Becky gave a small meow, “Hero, how can I keep it a secret from the others if you hold me like this?”

  “Fair point, Gothy,” He let her go, but took her hand and towed her into the dining room. Pulling out her chair, he seated her. “There. Now you can try to hide it a little longer. But, you won’t be able to get up until the room is empty.”

  “Prolonging my teasing,” Becky murmured as she shifted in place, trying to get the marble to a less effective position, but only caused the toy to press against her even more. “Oh, gods…”

  “Enjoy the suspense,” Alvin grinned. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  Alvin went to help Marie and Laurel with getting the tables set. Every time he went past Becky, he would smirk at her and sniff pointedly, which made Becky squirm a little more in her seat.

  The room began filling with people. Alvin took his seat after helping get food onto the tables, nudging Becky slightly and making her shift in place. “I’m hungry. How about you, Gothy?”

  “Starved,” Becky replied, her lips twitching as the marble shifted.

  The people closest to them; Ann, who was one of Placido’s daughters, and Karee, both had puzzled expressions when they first sat down. Ann frowned at Becky, but Karee just grinned at them both. Quickly enough, everyone turned their attention to the food. A lightly minted lamb stew was the meal for everyone, the first time Alvin had seen only one option for a meal.

  “Just like breakfast, we’re going to be serving consolidated meals,” Laurel said to the few who were grumbling about the lack of choice. “We have to adapt to the way we’re going to be getting food with the way the world works now.”

  “After dinner,” Placido said, when she finished speaking, “I’ll be explaining our plans for the farms, and other ideas for food, for those that would like to help with that endeavor.”

  The rest of the meal was mostly silent, aside from compliments to the ladies for the meal. As people finished, they stacked their bowls and left the room. Alvin took his time eating, covertly keeping an eye on Becky, who kept squirming in her seat.

  Karee lingered over her meal with a number of glances at Becky. Han dragged her off to go over her gear, and Karee shot one last, knowing smirk at Becky as she left the table. Alvin finished while Becky, her cheeks tinged pink, still had a few bites left in her bowl.

  “Too much for you?” Alvin teased as he picked up a stack of bowls to help Marie and Laurel clear the table.

  “I’m nearly stuffed,” Becky replied with heated eyes.

  “If you don’t eat your meat, you can’t have any pudding,” Alvin said as he walked off. When he came back, Becky’s bowl was empty. “I see you’re ready to go.”

  “Please,” Becky panted.

  Waiting until the women took another stack of bowls to the kitchen, Alvin got Becky to her feet and cleaned up her chair. “Your pants have a wet spot,” Alvin told her softly as he motioned her toward the door. “I’ll just walk behind you, shall I?”

  Following her, Alvin watched as the wet spot vanished. He attributed it to the clothing cleaning itself. Knowing that, he stepped forward and took her arm, much to her surprise. “Then again, if I walk beside you…” Trailing off, he watched her begin to breathe faster at the thought of everyone seeing the wet spot.

  Placido was in the midst of an animated discussion in the great room. Alvin nodded to those who looked over as they walked through on their way to the stairs. Becky kept her eyes forward and tried not to think about how many people now knew she was dripping with every step.

  As they descended, Becky was breathing heavily, her body trying to orgasm but the collar stopping her. “Hero, please…”

  “Not until we’re back in our room,” Alvin told her. The first blank door he came to, he toggled the button to convert it into a portal back to their base. “After…” he trailed off with a chuckle, as Becky darted through the glowing doorway, “you,” he finished with a chuckle.

/>   Becky was naked and on all fours by the time he followed her into the room, her ass pointed at him. “Hero, please, take me.”

  Unable to resist her invitation, Alvin was soon naked and entering her from behind. One hand went to her hip to help him keep a good steady pace, the other tangled in her hair, pulling her head up. “I know you’ve been wanting this, Gothy. Even more than I’ve been wanting to give it to you, and that is an awful fucking lot.”

  Moans and small mewls of pleasure came from Becky as she thrust herself back toward him. The marble hadn’t come free of where it was tucked next to her clit, and the extra stimulation was driving her into a frenzy.