Best Served Cold I by Noirceur Chapter One—In Which a Rat Is Caught ell, that's the last of these." Special Agent Fox Mulder tossed the file onto the pile that already littered the conference table. He rubbed his hands over his face, trying to wake himself up. They'd been on this round- up of Consortium members and their allies for three days now. Assistant Director Walter Skinner took a sip of coffee and grimaced. "Who's left?" Special Agent Dana Scully looked up from the computer she had been using to keep in communication with the international organizations that were involved in this gathering of the last vestiges of the once-powerful Consortium. "Krycek. But no one seems to have caught even the slightest whiff of him anywhere in their nets." "Probably dead," yawned Kim Cook, the Personal Assistant to the Assistant Director. "Shall I make another pot of coffee?" The general consensus on that was a heartfelt groan. "Well," said Skinner, "looks like the only thing we can do is send out a Special Memo about Krycek, and ask our colleagues to do the same. Kim is probably right: he's probably dead. Either that or he's buried himself so far underground, we'll catch him only by fluke. "Dana, thank our colleagues for their co-operation, congratulate them on work well done and let's go find our beds. I don't expect to see any of you around here until Monday. And that includes you too, Kim." Skinner rose, stretched muscles that screamed protest over being so suddenly abused. He looked around the room. "Ladies, gentlemen, I thank you for the time you've put into this project. Your dedication to it was certainly over and above the call of duty. And it shall be so noted in your files. "Good..." He stopped. Kim had just pulled open the blinds on the windows in his office, letting in the first natural light they had seen in days. "I was going to say 'night', but I guess 'morning' would be more appropriate." The men helped Kim gather up the files while Scully sent out the last of the e-mails. With various moans, groans, grunts, they made their way out of Skinner's office and took their aching bodies home. Skinner shut the door to his apartment, tossed his keys into the bowl that sat on the small cabinet by the closet. He hung up his coat. In the kitchen, he poured himself a glass of juice, found the bottle of headache capsules in the cupboard and swallowed four with the juice. He rinsed the glass and headed upstairs to take his own advice and get some much-desired sleep. He had one chore left to do before he found his bed. He stopped at the door of the spare bedroom and took his weapon out of its holster. Gun in hand, he pushed open the door, switched on the light in the curtain-darkened room. The man lying, bound, on the floor, blinked into the sudden light. He still had the energy to glare his hatred at the man standing in the doorway. Skinner smiled, rested his shoulder against the frame. "Three days and you're still here. So glad you decided to accept my invitation." The man, though weak from lack of food or water, found enough spit to croak, "Fuck you, Skinner." Said Alex Krycek. As Skinner had said, it would only be by fluke that Alex Krycek would be caught. Because that was how he had caught him. The night before the round-up went into effect. He'd been taking a short-cut, near closing time, through one of the local malls, not one he frequented, but the only one in D.C. that had the store with the exact colour wool his sister had asked him to pick up for her. There, in the food court, eating a hamburger, as calmly as you please, was the ratbastard who had infected him with nanocytes. Who still used them to control his life at the bidding of his masters. Who smiled as his finger hit the button that sent Skinner to his knees, reeling from the pain. Who was responsible for the humiliation of not being able to control his own body. The gods were on his side that night. Krycek never saw him, never noticed him following him out of the mall, to the dark corner Krycek had parked his car. Never heard Skinner come up on him until it was too late. The sound of his gun stock on Krycek's head had been like music to Skinner's ears. His luck had held out. No one had seen him hoist Krycek over his shoulder, slink into the night shadows of the building, carry him to his car, dump him into the trunk. There was something to be said for shopping this late at night. And in his own building's parking garage, he knew where the security cameras were, their blind spots, knew that the camera in the far elevator was out, to be repaired that very morning. He'd cuffed Krycek's wrists together, knowing the prosthesis would hold Krycek long enough for him to secure the man even better in his spare bedroom, the room which held his exercise equipment. It had never occurred to him to worry that Krycek remained unconscious all the way to the apartment, that he'd only begun showing signs of awakening once Skinner had dropped him onto the floor of the spare bedroom. The first thing he had done was take off Krycek's boots and socks, cuff his ankles together with the spare set he kept in the cabinet by the door. He'd wrapped a length of chain he had cut for a project at the cabin around Krycek's waist, padlocked it snugly and then cuffed Krycek's good wrist to it, behind his back. While Krycek was still groggy from the blow to his head, Skinner had shoved his sweater, t-shirt up enough so that he could release the prosthetic. A second, longer length of chain was padlocked at one end to the ankle cuffs; the free end was woven through the home gym system then padlocked around one of the legs of the bench that was securely bolted down to the floor. After that, Skinner had added all the weights he had to make the system even more unmoveable. Krycek had been fully awake by then, face feral, cursing him. Skinner had checked on his eyes just to be certain all he had was a mild concussion. And had gone to bed. He'd looked in once more in the morning before leaving. "I have no idea when I'll be back, Krycek. Could be tomorrow, could be next week. Stay as long as you like. I'll see you when I get back." But now, here Skinner was, a mere six hours after returning from the office, emptying the room of all its contents while Krycek lay still, silently watching with those angry eyes of his. Not that there were that much: he wasn't much of a pack rat. The boxes filled with paper would go into his home office downstairs. Time he sorted through all that stuff anyway. He'd do that over the weekend. The clothes that hung in the closet, well, most of them could be sent to the Salvation Army. He took the closet doors off at their hinges. Did the same to the small en-suite bathroom door. Only then did Skinner release the longer chain, pulling it out from around the bench, coiling it around his hand so that it was short enough for him to haul Krycek by the feet across the hardwood floor to the bathroom. He padlocked it around the toilet. Even now, he was willing to bet that, no matter what his condition, Krycek would try to escape. He was the sort of rat to have a reserve of strength somewhere in him to use when cornered. On his stomach, Krycek moved his head so he could watch as Skinner dismantled the gym system, moved it out into his bedroom. The only thing Skinner left behind was the post on which he stacked his weights when they weren't in use. First, he slid a large flat padlock with a chain already attached to it onto the pole. Then, on top of that, he piled all the bar weights he had, some three hundred pounds. Skinner looked around the room, mentally checking it against the list of special requirements he thought he would need. He nodded, pleased with what he saw. He turned to Krycek, shaking his head. "You know, Krycek, you really do smell. You should have made some kind of effort to use the toilet. I mean, I know you're a shit, but this smell is too much for an enclosed area." Krycek merely rested his head on the floor, as though what Skinner was saying held no interest for him. Skinner grinned wolfishly. "Don't go away, now. I'll be back in a minute." And he was, with a large pair of kitchen shears, a sharpened knife and a green plastic garbage bag. "Time to get those clothes off you, Krycek." As he neared the man, Krycek found the energy to raise his head and bare his teeth. He made a sort of snarling sound from the back of his throat. "No, not a good idea, Krycek. Bite me, and you can forget about the water I was going to give you. You'd like that, wouldn't you? A nice, big glass of water." He crouched by the bound man. "Well, what's it to be?" "Fuck you." Krycek's throat barely got the words out. Skinner shook his head, sadly. "No, Krycek. No profanity. That's another rule you're going to have to accept if you want water. Food. If you care to address me, you will be polite. In fact, call me," he smiled coldly, "'Master'. If you don't care for the rule, I'll have no recourse but to gag you. Is this understood?" Skinner waited until Krycek nodded. "Say it, Krycek. I want to be certain that there are no misunderstandings between us." Krycek gritted his teeth, forced out a soft "Yes." "Yes, who, Krycek?" When he didn't get a response, Skinner reached up and turned on a tap in the sink. Krycek got the message. He bit out, "Yes. Master." "Good." Skinner filled a glass with water, held it near Krycek's mouth. "Sip. Your stomach needs to get used to this again. I promise that I'll give you enough, but if you puke it up, you'll have to lap that up before I give you any more. Is that understood?" Krycek closed his eyes. Skinner knew he could smell the water, needed it badly. He waited until he got a barely audible "Yes. Master." Which he found quite thrilling. Between offered sips of water, Skinner used the knife and shears to cut the clothes off Krycek. He threw the shreds into the garbage bag, wrinkling his nose expressively when he tossed in the soiled jeans and shorts. "I hope I won't have to put diapers on you, Pet." From the horrified expression on Krycek's face, he thought the man hoped so too. There wasn't that much room in the bathroom. Skinner stepped over the prone body, reached over to turn on the taps in the tub. "I think we'll start with a soak, get that shit off you, then follow up with a shower." He reached down, grabbed Krycek by the chain he still wore at his waist and hauled him up onto his knees, then pushed him over the side of the tub. The chain around the toilet grew taut. Skinner stepped over it for a scrubbing brush and a bottle of extra- strength hand soap. Krycek stayed very still during his scrub down. Skinner slapped the back of his head when he caught him trying to drink some of the water. "NO! That water is dirty. True, it's your dirt but it won't do you any good to swallow faeces by mistake. I told you, I'll give you enough water. You're going to have to learn to believe me when I tell you something." Skinner grabbed Krycek by the hair, pulled his head back. He reached for a face cloth and roughly shoved it into Krycek's mouth. It took Krycek by surprise. "Next time, remember." Skinner examined his captive's body as he washed it. It contained a good record of the assassin's activities, what with its scars, the well-honed muscles. Krycek had led a hard life—and not just lately, from the colour and texture of the scars—and it showed. Still, he had survived, and was probably the stronger for it. Good, thought Skinner and he grinned to himself. He pulled Krycek to his knees, used a hand to steady him and flipped the lever to the shower. Krycek wobbled, but remained upright. Ah, thought Skinner, nothing like pride. He washed the man quickly, turned off the water and again, using the waist chain, hauled him out of the tub. He would have to replace that with something else before it rubbed the skin raw. He took the gag out, let Krycek have a little more water before drying him. And again after he was finished. He sat on the toilet lid and kept an eye on the quantity making it down Krycek's throat. When he was certain he wasn't going to puke it up, he allowed him a bit more then took the glass away. "That's enough for now. I'll water you again later on." With a small, cold smile, Skinner pushed the man onto his side. Krycek was alert enough to turn so that he landed on his shoulder, not the stump. Good reflexes, thought Skinner. He'd have to remember that, take them into account. He placed a knee on Krycek's legs, unlocked the chain from around the toilet and used it to haul Krycek into the now empty room. There he looped the chain from the post around the ankle cuffs, slid the end link onto the unused hand cuff and snapped it shut. He stood back and looked over his work. "Well, that should hold you for now. I have some errands to run. Shouldn't take more than a couple of hours. Behave yourself." "You can't leave me here like this," gasped Krycek. "What if there's a fire?" "A fire?" Skinner's grin showed his teeth. "Well, then, I guess you'll burn in it. Give you a taste of hell before you go there." It was late afternoon before he had gotten everything on his list. Krycek, he noted from the scraped skin on his ankles, had tried to pull himself somewhere, probably to the door. Not that he had gotten very far. Krycek raised his head at Skinner's entrance, then let it drop back to the floor. Not, thought Skinner, a good sign. He didn't intend losing his little pet now that he'd gotten him. He went back down to the kitchen, got a can of Boost and filled a small glass. He grabbed Krycek by the hair and held the glass to his lips. He allowed Krycek to drink about a quarter of it before he pulled the glass away. "What do you say, Pet?" Krycek looked at the glass, passed the tip of his tongue over his dry lower lip. "Fuck you, Master." Skinner put the glass down and backhanded the man, enjoying the feel of his hand slamming against Krycek's face. Still, he couldn't fault him for courage. He was, Skinner finally admitted to himself, really going to enjoy breaking this man. "What did I tell you about profanity, Pet?" He kept his voice to a conversational level. "Not acceptable. Much as I think that you need some nutrition, I think you need to understand your situation even more." Skinner placed the glass just out of Krycek's reach and stood up. "There, that will give you something to think about while I get some chores done. I'll come back later and ask you that question again." He gave Krycek until supper time to consider the answer he would give. "Well, Pet. Are you ready to answer my question properly? Would you like some more of this delicious drink?" Skinner held up the glass and passed it teasingly near Krycek's nose. Krycek closed his eyes, sighed, raised his head. "Yes, please. Master." Skinner grinned. "See. That wasn't too hard. Of course, you may have some more." He let Krycek empty the glass, sip by sip, so that his stomach wouldn't rebel as his spirit so wanted to do. To be honest with himself, Skinner knew that Krycek had probably determined that if he didn't get some nourishment, he would never have the strength to escape. That's why he had given in. Skinner grinned again; fat chance of that happening, if he had his way. And he would. When the glass was empty, Skinner went and got the rest of his purchases. Out of the large, deep purple bag with no logo on it, he took out a variety of straps, fetters. "I have to admit to you, Pet, that I was quite taken aback by some of the stock this store carries. I wonder if you know it," he nudged the silent man. "It's in the Dupont Circle area. No? Funny. I would have thought it was just the sort of place an animal like yourself would know well." Aware that with every mouthful of liquid Krycek was regaining his strength, Skinner cautiously went about replacing the handcuffs that confined wrist and ankles with lined specialized-plastic restraints, the chain around his waist with a wide belt of the same material that locked snugly. Aware too that, though the equipment was top-of-the-line BD material, this was no game he was playing with Krycek. There would be no safe words, no quick release mechanisms. He fully intended to break the man. The new restraints were linked to the chains with small but very secure padlocks. He didn't fool himself into thinking Krycek wouldn't try anything to get loose, if only to make his way out of the apartment. He added a locking mechanism to the window, replaced the lock on the door with a dead bolt. All the while, he kept on supplying Krycek with small quantities of the Boost, making him ask for it each time and thank him as well. And each time, teeth gritted, Krycek did. "Please, Master. Thank you, Master." When all was done to Skinner's satisfaction, he came to crouch in front of the man. He took Krycek's chin in his hand, forced his head up. He spoke in his severest AD voice. "This is how it's going to be, Pet. I'll feed you twice a day. In the morning, before I leave for work; in the evening, when I get back, no matter what time that is. I'll let you use the toilet three times a day. In the morning, when I get back, before I go to bed. "As I'm sure you're smart enough to have figured out already, you're not here for your pleasure, you're here for mine." His voice turned hard, his grip painful on Krycek's face. "For my pleasure of paying you back for the nanocytes. For all the little indignities you subjected me to with your threat of the nanocytes. For the betrayals you made me admit I was not strong enough to spit back into your face. For making me realize that I wanted to live at any cost, including the cost of my honour. "For what you did, not just to me, but to the others. To Scully. To Mulder. And don't give me that bullshit about like any soldier in a war, you were only following orders. You enjoyed hurting us, humiliating us. You smiled when you hit me with the nanocytes. "From now on, I own you. To do with as I please. Frankly, I would love for you to fight me. I want you to fight me, Pet. It will make breaking you that much sweeter." Krycek sneered. "Better men than you have tried." Then he added, mockingly, "Master." "Probably," agreed Skinner, "but then, they didn't have my motivation." He released Krycek's face, stood up. "By the way, as you've probably already figured out, you can yell all you want: the apartment is sound-proof." "Oh, and another thing, thanks for all the data you sent us. We picked up all the names in the files. Except for you, of course. You might like to know that the general consensus is that you're dead, your body rotting away in some cesspool. But we are going to let it be known that you were our source of information. "Ah, I see you hadn't counted on that. Well, think about it. Even if you do manage to get away, you really will have nowhere to go. Get some rest. You're going to need it." The next morning, when Skinner came in with another glass of Boost, Krycek was lying head towards the window. He shook his own head ruefully. He had to give the bastard credit for trying. Still, it was nice to see that he wasn't going to roll over and accept. Wouldn't be too much fun if he did that. "Good morning, Pet. Rise and shine." Skinner went over to the window, parted the curtains and looked out. Even here, on the seventeenth floor, there were windows opposite that just might end up attracted to some activity from this one. He had to do something about that. He crouched by Krycek, waved the glass by his face. Krycek's mouth tightened. Skinner waited. "Please. Master." His voice was devoid of any expression. Skinner smiled, gave Krycek's head a gentle pat. Krycek pulled his head sharply away, trying to avoid the touch. Skinner just grabbed him by the hair, holding his head steady. "Good boy. In fact, you can have the whole thing this time. Your system seems to be readjusting quite nicely." When Krycek had emptied the glass, Skinner filled it with water from the bathroom and let Krycek drink that as well. "Now then, you're going to need water on a regular basis, Pet. Even when I'm not here. So I bought you something." Skinner went out into the hallway, returned with a large pet water bottle, the type that stood upside down in a stand, with a balled nozzle. He braced the stand onto the floor, just far enough from Krycek that the only way he would be able to reach it would be on his stomach. Krycek looked up at him, his incredulity adding to Skinner's enjoyment of the moment. "There. Whenever you want water, you have it. I'll refill it whenever I find it empty. A promise, Pet. And remember what I said about my promises? I keep them. Even to a ratbastard like you." He went back out again, returned in a few minutes with a blind for the window. It didn't take long to remove the curtain, set up the blind, roll it down. With a stapler gun, he attached the blind to the window frame, effectively blacking out the room. Now he wouldn't have to worry about anyone seeing something they shouldn't. He left Krycek alone for the rest of the day. In fact, he next went into the room just before he was going to bed. Skinner poured another can of the Boost into a dog dish and sat on the floor waiting for Krycek to decide he wanted it. "If you don't ask nicely, Pet, you don't get anything but water until I feed you tomorrow morning. And not even then if you still won't ask. Remember, I have to go in to work tomorrow. Will probably have to put in a long day. Get home really late. Do you really want to go all that time without something more in your stomach than water? Up to you, Pet." He thought maybe Krycek was strong enough to refuse asking. He gave him a full minute to make up his mind. He was reaching for the bowl when Krycek made a rough noise in the back of his throat. "Please. Master." He spat the last word. "Hmmmm? No, not enough, Pet. I think I want you to be more specific." Skinner grinned at the look filled with loathing that Krycek gave him. He was surprised, yet again, by how much he was enjoying this. "Please, Master, may I have the bowl?" "Why, yes, Pet, you may have the bowl. You only have to ask." Skinner pushed the bowl forward just enough so that Krycek could lap at the thick liquid. While he did so, Skinner amused himself playing with Krycek's hair. He knew the man wanted to pull back from his touch but wouldn't. He needed this meal if he were going to fight Skinner and they both knew it. "Do you need the toilet yet? I'm going to bed so this is your last chance. I wouldn't want to come in tomorrow and find a mess on the floor." The next morning, when Skinner quietly opened the door and turned on the light, he found Krycek curled up in as tight a ball as he could. Skinner realized he was trying to conserve heat. He set down the bowl that contained Krycek's breakfast, raised the heat in the room. He'd been keeping it at a minimum since he heated up fairly quickly when he exercised. But Krycek was naked, lying on the hardwood floor. He turned around to find Krycek glaring at him. "Good morning. Time for the toilet." It was only then that he saw it. A small puddle. Not all that big. Probably about a half cup of liquid. Just enough for him to wonder if Krycek had decided to test him. Skinner made a production of going over to it, crouching and dipping a finger in the liquid. He sniffed his finger and, with a grimace of disgust, turned his attention to the man watching him. "What did I say, Pet? I won't tolerate these little messes. Not under any circumstance." He went over and grabbed Krycek by the nape of the neck, hauled him over to the puddle. "Lick it up, Pet." Lips pressed firmly together, Krycek shook his head. He crouched by his pet, grabbed hold of his head, forcing him to look up at him. "This is the situation, Pet. I'm not asking you, Pet. I'm telling you. You clean this up or you can forget about water and food until you do." He tightened the grip he had on Krycek's head, increasing the pressure on the points where the jaws met. Tears of pain streaked out of Krycek's eyes. Still, he kept his mouth closed. Skinner allowed his voice to challenge. "Are you strong enough to put this to the test? Can you go without food and water today? Tomorrow? I am not bluffing, Pet. By now you must know that I mean what I say. Your decision, Pet." And with that he released his grip. He sat back on his haunches and waited while Krycek stared at the liquid, working the pain out of his jaws. After sending Skinner a glare of absolute hatred over his shoulder, Krycek lowered his head to the puddle and, grimacing, hesitantly lapped up the urine. Skinner waited until the floor had been thoroughly cleaned before he rose, released the chain from the ankle cuffs and pulled Krycek by the belt to the bathroom. The man hung limply, making the job more difficult. That, thought Skinner, would have to change. He sat the man on the toilet, tucking his penis between his legs and into the bowl. He avoided the sudden butt that Krycek tried for with his head. Skinner punished that with a stunning blow to Krycek's head. After that little battle, he made certain that he was out of reach while Krycek looked as though he was pretending Skinner wasn't there. When Krycek was done, Skinner made a production of wiping Krycek's cock with a swatch of toilet paper, not bothering to hide his enjoyment of the flush that suffused Krycek's face. Then, with no warning, he hauled him off the toilet and back into the room where he once more chained him to the pole with the weights. "Let me see: food, water. That should take care of you for the day." Skinner smiled. "See you when I get home tonight. I really have no idea when that will be, so you might like to pace your meal throughout the day. "Oh, and remember, no messes." He turned off the light, shut the door, locked it. And went off to the Bureau to face the paperwork that had accumulated on his desk. Chapter Two—In Which Training Begins Skinner came back that evening with another of those purple bags in hand. He was pleased to see that the bowl was empty, the water bottle as well. Good. That meant his new "pet" was going to be strong enough to fight him. And certainly showing far more spirit than he had until then. He was kneeling, sitting back on his flattened feet, eyes blinking in the light. "Ah. So nice to see you almost back on your feet, Pet." Krycek ignored the comment, glaring at Skinner as he refilled the water bottle, poured more of the Boost into the rinsed-out bowl. "Okay, Skinner," he finally spat out. "Let's get on with your little games so that I can get out of here." Skinner shook his head, sadly. "You know, Pet, I don't think you understand yet. And I really don't like your attitude. But, you'll learn." Krycek scoffed, "Jesus, Skinner, do you seriously think you're the first one who's played this kind of game with me? Been there," he mocked, his tone bitter, "done that." "Really? Let me guess. Spender?" Krycek managed to look bored. "What did he do?" Skinner rested his shoulder against the bathroom jamb. "Rape you?" Krycek only curled a lip, showing the white of his teeth, looking for a moment like the rat Skinner called him. "Sorry. I have no intention of putting any part of me in you." From the scoff, it was obvious Krycek didn't believe him. "No, I know that many of these kinds of scenarios are about sex, but what you still haven't grasped, Pet, is that this is no scenario. This is for real." He moved away from the bathroom. "So, I'll just have to see how inventive I can get without sex, won't I? Wouldn't do to bore you, Pet. Still, I'm sure that the basics are all the same." And with that he pulled a leather collar out of the bag. It was about two inches wide with D-rings at the cardinal points. The locking mechanism was a male/female device that was not easy to unlock, even with two hands. Krycek's reaction was immediate. With a low, animal growl, he tried to avoid Skinner, but bound as he was, he really had nowhere to go. Skinner, grinning at this display of renewed energy from his pet, quickly grabbed hold of him by the hair and pulled hard so that Krycek toppled to the floor, teeth gripped in a feral grimace. Straddling Krycek's wriggling body, Skinner dropped his weight onto the man's back, snapped the self-locking collar in place, "See, Pet, as I've said, this is not a game. This is for real." He pulled sharply on the hair gripped in his fist, gave it a solid shake. "As for letting you go...well, I think you may be assuming a few things here that you shouldn't." "Fuck you!" Krycek's voice was rage-filled. "If you think I'm just going to lie here and play Master/Slave games with a mother- fucking cocksucker like you..." Skinner slapped him hard on the side of his head, stunning him into silence. He pulled over the purple bag and reached in for another item in it, a leather bit gag. Strong thighs firmly gripping Krycek's sides, he leaned down and slipped the gag into the man's mouth before Krycek could react. "Now then," Skinner stepped to the side, forcing Krycek to turn to keep him in sight, "I've warned you about profanity, Pet. That little display of temper is going to cost you tonight's supper. Hard to lap when your mouth is full, isn't it, Pet?" He went to the door, turned off the light. "Oh, by the way, Pet, if you should be tempted to have another 'little accident', of any kind, just remember how you cleaned up the first one. See you tomorrow morning, Pet." In the morning, Krycek was subdued. Not that Skinner believed it was going to last long. He removed the gag from Krycek's mouth, hauled him into the bathroom and settled him on the toilet. Though he only urinated, Skinner made a production of checking to see if he had defecated, wiping his ass with great care. Krycek looked straight ahead, obviously ignoring the whole scene. There was another of the purple bags that night as well, a larger one. After the evening use of the toilet, Krycek watched silently as Skinner removed a large bottle of lube, a variety of butt plugs—- from small to obscenely large—from it. Though he said nothing, Krycek's feelings about the proceedings were clear in the hate-filled glare he sent Skinner. "Not for tonight, Pet. For the weekend. I've decided that I want you in better form before I begin training you. So, for tonight, all I want you to do is think about how these plugs are going to feel going up your ass. And hope that I use some of this lube on them or in you before I put them in. "Supper has now been served. See you before bed." This time Skinner left the light on. Before going to bed, Skinner hauled Krycek into the bathroom, settled his limp body on the toilet. When it came time to wipe him clean, Skinner pushed Krycek's head forward until it was between his knees. With his pet's ass raised off the seat, Skinner spent some time with toilet paper wrapped around one of his fingers, examining Krycek's anus. Krycek tried to throw himself to one side, but Skinner had a good grip on his hair: besides, he had been expecting something like this. It was with unconcealed pleasure that, after rechaining Krycek to the weight post, he slipped another of his purchases, a ball gag, into the man's mouth. Not that Krycek lay still for it: there was a tussle before Skinner got his way. And there would be bruises on Krycek's face where Skinner's fingers had forced open his jaw. "A little reminder that you are to do only as I tell you. I never told you to move off the toilet, Pet. Still," he stood over the prostrate man, "I do enjoy a pet with spirit." In the morning, Skinner removed the gag only after the toilet ritual, fed his pet and took off for work. Krycek, when he thought about it between meetings, had been far too accepting, considering the ratbastard that he was. He must have worked hard at it all day. Skinner had to give him credit for perseverance. When he entered the room, the first thing he noticed, after he turned on the light, was that the weight pole had been tipped over, that the weights were now all on the floor. And then the door slammed against him. The breath knocked out of him, Skinner watched as Krycek, good hand grasping the dangling chains behind him, tried to hop his way out of the room. Slowly, Skinner got to his feet; it wasn't as though Krycek were going anywhere. The front door was locked and required a key to open, even from the inside. From the top of the stairwell, he watched, with reluctant admiration, as Krycek slid his body down the stairs, rolled across the landing and then slid down the second series of steps to the entry floor. With a rueful shake of his head, Skinner went after his wayward pet. He was taken aback when, instead of making for the front door, Krycek, using the lower steps as prop, managed to get to his feet and began hopping towards the balcony door. Shit! thought Skinner, that door wasn't locked. And it was a straight seventeen floors down to the ground. He wasn't certain that was what Krycek had in mind, but he wasn't going to chance it. He grabbed Krycek just as he managed to get his hand around the door handle. Skinner tried to pull Krycek to the floor, but Krycek was fighting on an adrenaline rush. His head butted Skinner against the jaw and, for a moment, he saw stars. But quickly, he managed to get a good grip on the belt so that when Skinner threw himself down upon the floor, Krycek easily over-balanced and came with him. Still, Krycek wasn't ready to give up. Skinner finally had to stun him with his boxer's fists into semi-consciousness before Krycek stopped trying to maim him, any way he could. The Skinner who hauled Krycek back to the foot of the stairs was not a happy man. His jaw ached, he had some bite marks on an arm, was sure that he would find bruises on his legs where Krycek's feet had tried their best to break a bone. He waited until Krycek had revived enough to be aware of Skinner, of the mood he was in. Without saying a word, Skinner waited until he had Krycek's full attention. Then he slowly unbuckled his belt, drew it out and, with a downward swing of his arm, brought it down on Krycek's unprotected body. "Jesus!" yelled Krycek, finally breaking the silence he had maintained all along. "You're fucking crazy!" Skinner crouched next to the naked man and did nothing to hide any of what he was feeling. Krycek must have realized that he would get no mercy from this man: he pulled back against the steps, trying to get away from him. "Crazy? You know, you're probably right. What's the matter, Pet? Did you think that those death games you played with the nanocytes were without consequences?" He put his face close to a wide-eyed Krycek. He spoke in a soft, even voice which made the man pull back even more, as though he were trying to melt into the woodwork. "Any idea what it was like, wondering if this time you'd play it all the way like you had that first time? Whether you'd go too far and wouldn't be able to bring me back?" Skinner held Krycek's eyes, not letting them go even for a blink. What Krycek saw in them was reflected in the growing horror that appeared on his face. "Did you seriously think that I would wake up, forgive all and get on with my life?" "You acted like it was nothing," shrieked Krycek. "You never stopped challenging Spender. He's the one who ordered me to do that to you. I never did it on my own! Only under orders!" Krycek's eyes widened even more at Skinner's reaction to that. Then Skinner straightened, swung the belt down, hard. Krycek screamed, "Spender ordered the nanocytes. Every time. You want revenge, why don't you go after him?" "First of all," Skinner snarled, "because he's not available, and you are. You're right here. And secondly, you're the one who held the palm pilot in his hand." "Fuck you! I was only following orders!" "I told you before, Pet," and Skinner swung once more, "that didn't work as an excuse at Nuremberg. It doesn't work now. Besides," he spat, "you enjoyed yourself too much." Skinner didn't say another word. Krycek got the message quickly. Chains dragging behind him, using his knees, his stump, slowly he managed to drag himself back up the stairs and into the room he had tried so hard to escape. All the while he had as little success escaping the punishing blows of Skinner's belt. At first, he twisted his body, trying to avoid the blows, all the while cursing Skinner, but, by the time he collapsed on the floor just beyond the doorway of his prison, his body striped from shoulders to ankles, he was incoherently screaming what Skinner took to be Russian obscenities. And, though his anger had cooled during the trip up the stairs, Skinner didn't stop slamming down the belt until he heard the words he had been waiting for. Only when Krycek sobbed, "Please, Master, please," did he stay his hand. Skinner was surprised to find that he was breathing hard, as though at the end of a long workout. He worked on controlling his breath as he listened to Krycek's sobbing. Still without a word, he set about replacing the chains on the weight pole, the weights that Krycek had worked so hard to remove. Krycek had one last attempt in him. Uttering an animal growl, he tried to kick out with his feet when Skinner came close. Skinner managed to counter it with a kick of his own, into Krycek's stomach. He was in no mood to tolerate any more shenanigans. This time he made certain that Krycek was bound securely, with very little leeway to get into mischief. He forced the bit gag into Krycek's mouth and snapped it on as tightly as he could. As a last gesture of his displeasure, he pulled off his tie, placed Krycek's balls and penis through the loop. He pulled tightly, ignoring Krycek's muted scream, then knotted the silk so that it wouldn't slip loose throughout the night. Then he went to check himself out in his bathroom. The only thing he did when he looked in on Krycek in the morning was remove his tie from the reddened cock and balls. "You'll be happy to know," said Skinner, the next night, as he poured another can of Boost into the bowl, "that your training begins tomorrow morning." They were the first words that Skinner had spoken since the escape attempt. He now unchained Krycek only to use the toilet, then he immediately rechained him to the post, which had had more weights added to it. Krycek continued lapping the liquid, ignoring Skinner who roughly traced the fading signs of the belt's work on his pet's body. Krycek, too, had remained silent since then. Skinner wondered if his pet thought this would be accepted as a sign of penitence. He smiled: as if that were all he was seeking! Still, he'd allowed him that thought, but soon, very soon, his pet was going to realize that he had meant what he'd said. When the door opened on that Saturday morning, Skinner made it obvious that things were going to be different. To begin with, he didn't take Krycek to the toilet though he did feed him. And then Skinner went out and returned with a box, a box with tools and a variety of restraints. As Krycek silently lapped his meal, Skinner bore holes into the flooring and sub-flooring, and, using six inch bolts, secured restraints with thick, welded metal rings. When the floor was eventually studded with the restraints, he tested each and every one by looping a belt through the ring and letting his weight pull against the metal. Skinner bolted a couple to the floor of the bathroom, one of which already had a short chain with a hook on the end attached to it. He bolted two at each end of the top beam where the closet doors used to hang, added two more closer to the centre and tested all of them by letting his weight sag as he dangled from the belt. Each and every one of the restraints held true. Skinner noticed that Krycek's eyes were following every move he made, looking more uneasy. Satisfied, Skinner cleared the tools out and carefully vacuumed all the wood and cement dust off the floor. He spent some minutes in the bathroom, putting supplies away in the medicine cabinet, running water, using his body as a blind to his actions. Before he released Krycek from his chains, he attached a short leather lead to one of the D-rings on the collar he wore. He never again moved Krycek around without securing the lead to the collar. Not caring whether Krycek could keep up with him, Skinner pulled the lead into the bathroom. There, he waited until Krycek had finished on the toilet, pushed him off to kneel at his feet. "Now then, Pet. Every Saturday will begin with a proper cleaning. I think we'll start with your teeth. Been a while since they've been brushed." Skinner reached into the sink for the red toothbrush he had already prepared with some paste. He held it to Krycek's mouth. "You will open your mouth for me, Pet, or I will put a brace in it that will keep it open all the time." Barely bothering to hide his glare, Krycek slowly opened his mouth. Skinner sat on the closed toilet lid, grabbed hold of Krycek's hair with one hand and ran the toothbrush in his mouth. The manner in which Krycek spat out the paste into the tub was expressive. Skinner grinned, reached out with a finger to stroke the bearded face. "I wouldn't," he said casually as he read the desire to bite on the other's face. "The beard really has to come off. It's messy." He roughly passed his hand over the matted hair, glued together with dried Boost. "Gets in the way of your eating properly. I think we'll make it part of your Saturday ritual that it comes off." This time, Skinner placed his knees on either side of the kneeling man and held him tightly. With the other hand still gripping his hair, Skinner filled the sink with hot water, managed to get some foaming lather onto Krycek's face and pulled out an open bag of disposable razors from the medicine cabinet. Then, using blade after blade as each got clogged with beard, Skinner shaved Krycek until he was satisfied with the results. "There, nice and smooth. Like a baby's bum. And, speaking of which, we now come to the next part of the Saturday ritual." With that, he hauled Krycek up and over the edge of the tub, head down, ass up in the air. Quickly, Skinner attached the short chain from the bathroom floor restraint to the links between Krycek's ankle manacles. Every time Krycek tried to lift his body out of the bath, Skinner slapped him on the back of the head. Sitting on the toilet lid, Skinner leaned over, anchoring his weight behind the elbow he rested in the small of Krycek's back. "I'd be careful about moving, if I were you. I've never shaved a man's ass before. You wouldn't want to move suddenly. Might end up losing something." He used some of the same shaving lather and more of the disposable razors. Krycek, he noted, held very still so that, though leaning against him, Skinner could actually use both hands, one to spread his ass cheeks so that the other could use the razor to shave his crack clean. While he still had a "co-operative" pet, he inserted a greased fingertip, not too gently, into Krycek's anus and moved it about until he got a grunt from the man. Then he replaced his finger with the nozzle of the enema bag he had prepared, squeezing the water into Krycek's rectum until the bag was empty. "Now then," said Skinner, in a conversational tone, "I know that five or so minutes are the norm for holding water in. But these are not normal circumstances. I want you to get used to holding it in for much longer periods of time." Ignoring Krycek's muttered obscenity, he continued. "We'll start with ten, by my watch. I'll add more time with each cleaning. Maybe I'll set up a clock in here so you can time it yourself. "I'm assuming that your muscles haven't yet been trained to hold the water in all that time without help. So for this occasion, and maybe the next, I'm leaving the nozzle in. It'll give you something to squeeze against. But don't expect this sort of treat to come often. You'll learn to do this properly, or we'll start over again. And if we have to, I'll have to add five more minutes to the time involved." When the cramps began, Krycek twitched, cursed under his breath, trying to find a position that would ease the pressure on his bowels. Skinner pinched the soft flesh of the undercurve of his pet's ass—hard. "Stay still, Pet, or we start this all over again." When the ten minutes were up, Skinner stood up, keeping a hand on Krycek's back. "No water comes out until you're sitting, Pet. If any does, you will lick it off the floor." He pulled the nozzle out quickly but Krycek's anus closed tightly on the water. With a grin, Skinner hauled Krycek's body onto the toilet. Bent over double, Krycek voided. "Next week, you will ask for permission to void. If I don't give it, you'll have to learn to hold it in until I say you can." He waited until Krycek was done to turn on the faucets in the tub. He unlocked the chain from the ankle manacles, pushed the man off the toilet and into the tub. "Bath time. Something else you'll have to ask for from now on, Pet." Skinner roughly washed Krycek down, pulled him out of the water and dried him even more roughly. Using the lead that was still attached to the collar, Skinner pulled his unwilling "pet" back into the room. There, taking a short chain out of his pocket, he locked one end to the back D-ring on the collar and the other end to one of the floor restraints. Then, pulling out a slightly longer chain from another pocket, he turned Krycek over onto his back and chained him by the ankles to yet another floor restraint. Satisfied that Krycek would not be going anywhere, Skinner left the room, only to return with another of the purple bags. "Now then, Pet, we're going to start your training today. Up till now, I've been rather lenient..." It was evident from the sound that came out of his pet's throat that his pet didn't agree with him. "Yes, lenient with you, but no more. A good pet is a well trained pet, and that's what you're going to be. While I know that right now, you're not feeling very co-operative..." "Fuck you, Skinner," Krycek finally snarled. "There, you see. That's exactly what I mean. I've told you before, I don't want to hear any profanity coming out of your mouth, but have you listened? You know, it seems that I'm not the only one that feels that way. There's a little thing that someone's invented that should train you out of that. "Now let me see...I pour some of this liquid soap into this end of the bit...see the nice sponge...that's to protect your mouth...mind you, I also understand that if you bite down too hard, you end up with a mouthful of soap. If I squeeze...Well, what do you know, it works." Skinner sounded absolutely delighted. He felt even more delighted when Krycek, lips tightly clenched, denied him his mouth. Skinner crouched by his reluctant pet and grabbed his head between his hands. With a smile, he used his thumbs to press where the upper and lower jaws met. Krycek resisted only a little longer. When his mouth opened to release the pressure, Skinner quickly slid the bit into his mouth and snapped it, loose enough so that if the soap made Krycek vomit, he wouldn't drown in it. Krycek's face was priceless at his first taste of the soap. Skinner had sniffed and even tasted several before deciding on this particularly foul brand. Moreover, he noticed, his pet was doing his best to keep his mouth open wide so that there was as little contact as possible with the sponge bit. "Yes, well, we'll see how that works on your attitude. Now then, let's work on position. "From now on, when I come in, I will expect you to be in a respectful position. I don't assume that you will do so just on my request, so, let's see what's in the bag that will help you". Skinner reached in and took out a wand with lined plastic cuffs at each end. Forcing Krycek's knees apart so that the loose chain at his feet was now taut, he knelt over Krycek's feet. "Now. let me see. I think I'll attach these above your knees. Yes, like that. But how wide apart do I want you to keep your legs? Yes, I think twenty-four inches." Skinner stood, stepped away from a glaring Krycek and looked him over carefully. "Yes, I think I rather like this position on you. And it leaves your genitals free for any attention I may decide to grant them." He nodded, satisfied with the expression of fear that had flashed over his pet's face on that last note. Yes, his pet was beginning to accept just how serious he was with his intentions. "Just because I have no intention of using you sexually, doesn't mean that your genitals will be spared. "Oh, and I do realize that your muscles may take some time to get used to that position, Pet, but they will." The sound of Krycek suddenly gagging, hawking made Skinner pause. "I think the position you're in may be a tad dangerous for you, considering that bit, so I think...yes, if you're turned around, it will be much safer. Wouldn't do to lose you just as we start your training, now would it?" Skinner unlocked one end of the foot chain, bodily moved Krycek so that his weight now rested on his shoulders, his knees under him. A line of soapy drool made its way to the floor. "I think I rather like you that way, Pet. Let's see what we can do to train you to that position." Skinner rummaged in the box, found a length of chain. He attached one end to the front of the collar, attached a link to the waist belt, wound it twice tightly around the knee spreader and attached the other end to the ankle manacles so that Krycek's ass was now high in the air, with his knees perpendicular to it. To keep Krycek from pulling his ankles closer, Skinner used yet another link of chain that locked the ankles to the floor restraint. Krycek could neither pull his feet forward nor move them backward. As an added measure, Skinner used a very short chain between collar and floor. His pet was locked into position. Skinner crouched by the man, pulled his head up, as high as it could go, by the hair. "This is the position I'm going to keep you in until your body thinks it's its natural one. You'll never be allowed to walk on your feet, Pet. Personally, I've always found that making animals walk on their hind feet is nothing more than a party trick. And it's insulting to the dignity of animals. To the dignity of pets. "You'll learn to endure a great deal, Pet, but walking on your hind extremities is an indignity I promise never to submit you to." He smiled. "One day, you will thank me for this decision, Pet." Krycek's hatred blazed from his eyes. Skinner removed his watch, set it where Krycek would have no trouble seeing it. "One hour. It's now 10:21. At 11:21, I'll be back. Remember, I told you that when I tell you something, I can be counted on to keep my word. One hour, Pet." At exactly 11:20 by Skinner's watch, the door opened and Skinner came to crouch by Krycek. "See, Pet. One hour. When I remove the gag, I expect you to thank me, or I'll have to reinsert it again for another hour." He reached over and unsnapped the soapy bit, removed it out of Krycek's mouth. On the floor by Krycek's mouth, there was a small pool of soapy drool. Krycek spat onto the floor, several times, by it, trying to rid his mouth of the soapy saliva that permeated it. "Thank you, Master," he sneered. Skinner was inwardly pleased at this display of spirit. Outwardly, he just shook his head sadly. "Pet, Pet. What did I say about messes? If you want some water, you're going to have to clean that up first." Skinner smiled at the look Krycek managed to send his way. He knew that whatever profanities Krycek wanted to throw at him didn't make it out of Krycek's throat. His pet was a quick learner. He stood. "I'll be right back, Pet, and I want to see the floor cleaned up. If it isn't, I will punish you, Pet. And I want you to understand right now that training is not punishment. So far, this has only been training. Whether it moves into punishment is up to you. It will always be up to you. I will always make my wishes clear. If you follow them, that is training. If you don't, then I promise you right now that you will be punished and that the punishment will be such that you will understand the difference between training and punishment." The floor was almost clean when he returned. Skinner smiled at his pet. "Good boy. Now I understand that soap is quite laxative. For this time, you will let me know should you need the toilet. I'm sure you'll remember what I've said about your cleaning up any little messes you make." He placed a bowl with water by Krycek's mouth. As Krycek went for it, Skinner pulled it back. "I think you forgot something, Pet." Krycek closed his eyes, swallowed dryly. "Please, Master." "If I ever have to remind you again, Pet, you won't get any." He pushed the bowl back to Krycek. "Thank you, Master." "Excellent, Pet. See, you can be trained. Hurry and drink that, so we can move on to the next step of your training." "When I attach the lead to your collar, that's the signal that you're going for a walk. Now I realize that considering the position you're in, this may be difficult, but I think that with some practice, you'll get by. It's not as though I expect you to run a marathon. Keep your shoulders on the floor, move your knees up. Together. Shift your weight onto your shoulders and try again. Now lift your shoulders just off the floor...No, I don't want to see them more than a couple of inches off the floor! Move forward. Now the knees. Now the shoulders. Yes, that's the way. I'm sure you'll go faster once you get the hang of it. "Now remember that I expect you to heel at all times. This lead is short, but if I ever put you on a longer one, I'll still expect you to heel." The lesson went slowly. Apart from the fact that he was no longer restrained onto the floor, Krycek was bound with hand behind back, spreader at knees, ankles fettered. And he was not a co-operative participant in the lesson. Skinner said nothing, just pulled his belt off and used it as encouragement whenever his pet hesitated. In spite of this, after a turn around the room, Krycek refused to move. Skinner tugged on the leash, but Krycek let his body sag down, his knees tucked under his torso. Skinner frowned. He released the leash and took the step necessary to reach for yet another purple bag on the bathroom counter. In that time, Krycek turned, tried to get onto his feet. Skinner grabbed for the leash and, catching it, yanked hard so that Krycek ended up on his back, knees up in the air. Taking a short length of chain from his pocket, Skinner locked Krycek's collar to a near-by floor restraint. He had been right, he thought, to set up so many of these around the room. Silent, Krycek tried to pull away from Skinner's hands. Also silent, Skinner manhandled him so that he was on his stomach, knees on the floor, avoiding the feet flaying the air. It was the matter of seconds for Skinner to attach the knee spreader to another restraint. It was a matter of mere moments to slip the leather bit into Krycek's mouth. Skinner was getting quite proficient at that. Then Skinner left the room, came back with a chair. He reached down and raised Krycek's feet, then set the chair down by Krycek's knees, quickly seating himself in it. "I've told you that you were in charge of punishment, Pet. And I was serious. You still seem to have some trouble believing me. I also told you that I didn't want to see you walk on your feet. But you disobeyed me just now and tried to. This does require punishment. It will be painful, but I think that lessons learned with pain are not soon forgotten. "When I am done, I expect you to thank me for caring enough about your training to punish you when you break the rules." Holding Krycek's ankles between his knees, Skinner brought down a short, thin, leather strap on the soles of Krycek's feet. Krycek was too stunned with the first blow to react. But with the second he tried to drag his feet from Skinner's grip. Skinner merely raised his own feet, wrapped each of his legs around Krycek's calves, holding him firmly, and never missed a beat. "I learnt to do this in Vietnam, Pet. There's an art to it. Hard enough to get the message across. Not so hard so that there would be questions asked. Not that there were many questions asked by the time I got there. Amazing how quickly we could get answers from people who didn't want to talk to us using this." As the pain built up, Krycek twisted, writhed, did his best to pull his feet away but Skinner never lost his grip. The soles went from striped pink to red to welted to the accompaniment of a variety of cries that crescendoed into screams. When the sounds coming from Krycek were totally incoherent, Skinner paused to examine his handiwork. "I hope," he told the sobbing man, "that this message has gotten through that thick skull of yours, Pet." He stood up, pushed back the chair and lay the welted feet on the floor. He placed the chair out in the hallway, went into the bathroom for a glass of water. This had been surprisingly thirsty work. After drinking, he brought another out, crouching by the man who was still sobbing his pain. He unsnapped the bit. "I'll bet all that screaming has made your throat dry. Would you like some water, Pet?" He waited until Krycek found the breath to gasp, "Yes. Please. Master." "First, thank me for your punishment." Head resting on the floor, eyes closed, face wet with tears, sweat, mucus, body trembling, Krycek bit his lower lip then, with a whimper, moaned, "Thank you, Master." Skinner placed the glass on the floor, released the knee spreader from its ring, turned Krycek's body. He screamed again as his feet touched the floor. Skinner slipped his hand under Krycek's head and held the glass to his mouth. And held it there until Krycek emptied it, little by little, between sobs, coughs. Chapter Three—In Which Decorations Play a Part Skinner opened the door and smiled at the picture he saw waiting for him. His pet was in position, head hooded, shoulders to the floor, knees still held apart by the spreader, ankles fettered, top of feet flat on the floor. Ass high in the air. As it had been since the time Skinner had entered the room silently and had found his pet's ass lower than what he expected. The new strap he had just purchased at the store that furnished the purple bags had proven quite effective. Even gagged and hooded, Krycek's screams had given Skinner great pleasure. It always surprised him just how much. And the addition of the hood that first night had produced much more co-operation on the part of his pet. Not at first. At first, he had found some more of that fighting spirit that so pleased Skinner. Skinner had chained him into position for the night, with only a little trouble, but when he had pulled the loose cotton hood out of the purple bag, his pet had lost all his new found co- operation. It had been a struggle to get the hood over his head but thankfully the neck closure was velcroed and closable with only one hand. How good of his pet to have handed him another tool for his training. It made him wonder if, for some reason, his pet was afraid of the dark. If so, too bad. He had taken it off only to feed his pet, pointing out to him that the cotton around the mouth portion was woven loose enough for him to water himself if he worked at it. Now, after two days, his pet's position was everything he wanted it to be. The hood and all that time spent chained in position had accomplished much. It was now time to move on. After the evening visit to the toilet and his feeding, Skinner positioned his subdued pet on his back, feet chained to the floor, knees still spread apart, leaving his genitals open to Skinner's touch. The gag in his mouth was a plain leather bit. "Now we will begin the next phase of training, Pet. It is time for you to learn, and accept, that your body belongs to me." His hands were lightly stroking the body waiting for his training. His pet's eyes were watching his, intent and worried. He smiled. "For me to do with as I please. And what I please is to teach it to accept any pain that I wish to give it. "Why?" His hand caressed his pet's genitals, cupping his scrotum, giving a slight squeeze to the flaccid penis. "Because of all the pain you caused. You, yourself, Pet. Yes, yes, I know. You were only following orders. But your, ah...previous, masters aren't at hand, and you are. And you did enjoy following those orders, Pet. No, no. Don't shake your head like that, Pet. We both know you did." His fingertips skimmed the small brown pebbles that were his pet's nipples. "You knew what had happened to Scully and you knew what it did to Mulder. You knew that they were planning to abduct her. What they were going to do to her. You let the cancer play havoc with Scully's life. I'm even certain you knew about Emily. Are you the one who led Scully to her daughter in time to see her die?" Krycek shook his head vigorously, gargled sounds of denial coming from the bit. Skinner ignored him, watching the trail of goosebumps his touch was rising on his pet's skin. "Then there is what you did to Mulder. All that trust you built between the two of you, only to shatter it. Mulder is not someone who trusts easily. Your betrayal made it all that much harder for those of us who care for him. And all that information you had about Samantha, about his father, about his life. All the things you knew about him, that you used to hurt him, to batter his spirit." He smiled at his pet, watching the worry in his eyes turn to fear. "And that's not taking into account all the things you did to me. "You do have to pay for all that, Pet." Skinner's voice turned cold. "And you will thank me for each session when it is over, or I will punish you." Skinner rested another of those purple bags on the floor within reach. The first thing he removed were a pair of clamps. "I know that I should begin with a pair of the novice level, but these really appealed to me. I think they'll look very good on you." Skinner placed one of the rubber-coated clawed clamps on Krycek's nipple, letting the spring snap hard onto it. Eyes filling with sudden tears, Krycek gasped behind the bit, his chest rising as though to throw off the hard grip on sensitive flesh. Skinner didn't give him any time to adjust to the first. The second elicited an even louder sound from the bit-filled mouth. Skinner lay on the floor next to his pet, watching his reaction. "No, Pet, eyes open." He gripped Krycek's hair and tugged sharply. "I do not give you permission to close your eyes. Your pain must be visible to me at all times. Open them or I will punish you. Yes. That's better. Let me see your pain. Let me see how you accept it. Like I accepted the pain when you played with the nanocytes. Like Scully accepted she was going to die of that cancer. Like Mulder accepted that his sister was never coming back." Skinner stroked the hair off Krycek's face. Once, when Krycek tried to turn his face away from Skinner's examination, Skinner grabbed him by the chin and yanked his face back to him, grip tight enough to leave bruises. "No, you do not have permission to look away. Your pain is what I want, Pet. Your obedience and your pain." Slowly, as he watched, Krycek's gasping eased to short breaths as his body got used to the level of the pain, as he controlled his body's reaction to it, as he accepted it. Skinner smiled approvingly. "Yes, that's it, Pet. That's good. But you forgot to thank me, Pet." Krycek closed his eyes, quickly gasping through the bit what Skinner assumed was "Thank you, Master." In response, Skinner rubbed his free hand over one of the clamps causing Krycek to scream at the suddenness of the pain that flared in his chest. "Eyes, remember the eyes stay open, stay on me, Pet. Yes, hate me all you want, show me that you hate me. That will make you strong. It will help you endure the pain that is just beginning." And he rubbed the other clamp. As tears ran down the sides of Krycek's face, Skinner removed the gag. His pet's screams were too lovely to mute. He kept on stroking Krycek's hair, murmuring his pleasure at his pet's pain. "Beautiful. Pain looks so very good on you, Pet. And your screams are like music. See, when I play your body like an instrument, you scream in different keys. Interesting." And he tugged on the clamps, rubbed the now swollen membranes, twisted the clamps, all to the accompaniment of Krycek's screams and Russian curses. After some time, Skinner decided some variety would add spice to the evening's play. He had plans for the coming weekend, and he wanted his pet to be ready for that training. He removed the clamps, left Krycek alone for an hour, allowing him time to recover from his "musical composition", allowing his body to become accustomed to the throbbing pain in his nipples. Skinner was delighted to see the fear in Krycek's eyes when he entered the room. "What do you want of me!" Krycek screamed as Skinner approached him with another purple bag. Skinner crouched by his pet, grabbed him tightly by the jaw. "I want to own you," he bit out. "All of you. Inside, outside. Your every thought...every breath...will be of me. You will accept that I can do whatever I want to you, because I have that right. I earned that right when I survived. And you will pay for that right...I earned it because of you!" Krycek shook his head, whimpered, "You're insane!" Skinner grinned. "I think we've already decided that's a given, Pet." "Look, Sk...Master. Listen to me. Please," Krycek begged. "I've got money. Lots of it. I can get it to you. Please." Skinner sat up and examined his pet's face. The eyes were intense in their pleading. Tears of pain still streaked his cheeks. His lower lip was swollen from his biting it when he had, at first, tried to contain his screams. Sighing, Skinner shook his head. "You still don't get it, do you, Pet?" "It's millions. In bonds. In cash. In Switzerland." Krycek's anxiety was so very obvious, thought Skinner. "Just when did you have the chance to gather all these riches, Pet?" "Not mine. The Consortium's." Krycek took a deep breath and Skinner realized that his pet thought that he was seriously interested. "A lot of the stuff belonged to the old men who were burnt in the hangar at El Rico Base. More than enough for you. "You could even share some with Scully and Mulder," Krycek managed to sound enthusiastic. "To make up for what happened to them. For what happened to you. You could retire. Go away somewhere and never have to worry about money ever again. I have the numbers to some of the accounts. I know where to find others. I'll give them you. "Look. All you have to do is take me to the bank. You pick up the first batch of bonds, cash and I'll show you how to find the others. Then you let me go." Krycek's smile was suddenly confident. Skinner smiled and as his grew, Krycek's wavered. "Pet, Pet, Pet. Do you really think money is the answer? Well, I really hate to discourage you..." "Ah, come on," Krycek laughed nervously, "there's probably more money in those accounts than you've ever dreamt of having." Skinner shook his head, still smiling. "Look. I've said I'm sorry. Come on, Skinner," Krycek's voice was desperate, "what more do you want?" "I've told you, Pet. I want your pain and your obedience." He reached over and pinched one of the swollen nipples hard, making Krycek scream again. "And it's 'Master', Pet. I never want to hear you address me any other way ever again." He pinched harder still, turning the flesh between his thumb and index finger white. When Krycek's screams abated, he nodded. "Now, on with your training." He took several rings, each about a half inch in width, out of the bag and dangled them in front of Krycek's eyes. "You've got a nice pair of balls, Pet. But pretty as they are, they could stand improvement. They sit far too close to your body for my purposes. So, from now on, you're going to be decorated. I realize that these are rather plain, but eventually, when I deem it time, I'll find you something finer to wear." Skinner went to sit on the floor by Krycek's feet. He moved so that his legs lay on either side of the spread knees, Krycek's genitals at hand. "No, please. Master." Skinner loved the begging tone in his pet's voice. "But I am pleased." He spent some time examining the egg-sized balls in their loose covering, playing with them, rolling them around in their casing. "You have a good pair of balls, Pet. Nice and firm." He gave them a hard squeeze. Krycek's hips rose as he tried to choke back a scream. "There was this boy in a brothel in Nam. His hung down to mid-thigh. Below his cock. They swayed when he walked. I rather like the idea of yours swaying like that." With a smile that Krycek could see, he pulled on the man's balls with one hand, stretching the skin between them and the perineum while, with the other, he slipped on one of the rings, locked it shut. It was a tight fit. Krycek's hips moved as though he were trying to escape. "No, please. Master, please. I'm sorry. Forgive me. I'm begging you." Skinner merely tightened his hold on Krycek's balls and the movement stopped immediately. "Good Pet. I was right about you. You learn so quickly. It's going to be such a pleasure training you." He kept the pressure even on Krycek's balls, ignoring yet appreciating the assorted gasps, grunts, moans that Krycek tried to hold back as Skinner slipped another of the rings on. And then another. And finally a fourth. There was barely any room left for it. Skinner had to tug harder to get it to fit before he could finally slip it on. Then he released Krycek's balls. "Oh, god!" whimpered Krycek. Skinner smiled at his pet's sweat-slicked face. "Uncomfortable, rather than painful, I would think. I understand that the pain builds so that you have something to look forward to, my Pet. Whenever I feel like it, I'll add another to the collection. By the way, these won't come off until I am satisfied with the way your balls hang." With a raised eyebrow, Skinner flicked his fingers against the now darkening mass that were Krycek's balls. He smiled at the reaction he got: Krycek's hips rose sharply accompanied by a gargled shout. For the next hour, Skinner lay beside Krycek as he fought to control his vocalizations as Skinner played with his body: pinching or twisting his nipples, putting the clamps back on for a few minutes, playing with them, taking them off, reaching down under his cock to tug at or pinch his balls. All the while ignoring his pet's pleas for forgiveness, he murmured in Krycek's ear: "Yes, it hurts. It has to hurt. You owe us so much pain, Pet. And I love what pain does to you, my Pet. It looks so good on you. It sounds so beautiful. Far better than I ever imagined. "You know, I think I'm going to leave you like this until bedtime. Yes. I have some reports I have to deal with. Shouldn't take more than a couple of hours. Use the time to take the pain within you, Pet. Learn to accept it. That would really please me." He replaced the claw clamps with lighter ones, not wanting to permanently damage his pet. Not yet, at least. He slipped the gag back into his pet's mouth. "Not much purpose in your yelling if I'm not here to listen to you, is there, Pet?" When he came to settle his pet for the night, Skinner found him with his eyes slightly unfocused, body covered with a fine sheen of sweat. Skinner removed the clamps and enjoyed the sounds Krycek made as blood recirculated in the stretched, whitened peaks. He waited until the sounds had diminished to remove the bit from Krycek's mouth. The leather was indented with teeth marks, sodden from saliva. Krycek was slow to respond to his training. Skinner actually had to pinch one of the now swelling nubs for him to remember. "Thank you, Master!" he screamed. "I had to remind you, Pet. Now there will have to be punishment." And he cruelly twisted first one nipple then the other. "Remember, I warned you. There is training and then there is punishment. I'm the one in charge of training. You, and only you, are in charge of punishment." He attached the short leash to Krycek's collar, unlocked the chains that held him to the floor and rolled him over so that he was in the correct position to heel. In the bathroom, as Krycek sat on the toilet, his swollen balls hit the side of the seat. He went white, stopped breathing. Skinner quickly settled him on the seat, leaned him forward and hit him with the flat of his hand squarely between the shoulders. Krycek exhaled and began breathing again. The next night, Skinner played the same game with his pet's body, using a tighter set of nipple clamps and roughly amusing himself with Krycek's balls. Playing yet another composition on his pet's body. "Yes, much better, Pet. You're accepting this much better." He released the tight clamp from one nipple. Krycek groaned. "Does that hurt, Pet? Tell me, does it hurt?" It took his pet a moment to respond. "Yes, Master." "It hurts?" "Yes, Master, it hurts." Skinner leaned over his pet's chest, took his face in his hand, forcing him to look directly at him. "How does it hurt, Pet? Tell me what it feels like." His pet seemed to need some incentive. Skinner replaced the clamp, watching his pet catch his eyes as they were about to close. "I want you to tell me how it feels when I remove the clamp, Pet. If you don't, then I'll just have to leave it on all night, now won't I?" He pulled the clamp off. Krycek screamed, "It hurts!" He panted to control his voice so that his words could be heard. "It...feels like...you're pulling...my tit off my body. Master." "Now there's an idea," smiled Skinner. His pet eyed him with horror behind the pain. "Fortunately for you, I'm not that keen on the sight of blood. And I do want you well and healthy for your training. "Do remember to keep your eyes on me when I'm with you." His tone turned threatening. "I understand that there are special clamps I can get that keep your eyelids open. I don't think you would be fond of that. So don't push me to use them. "Besides," he smiled, voice now soothing, gently weaving a net around Krycek, "you have nothing to hide, my Pet. Pain makes your eyes even more beautiful. I remember the first time I saw you in Headquarters, when I gave that speech to the new intake. That surprises you, does it?" He passed a soothing hand along the side of his pet's face. "Yes, Master," gasped his pet. "I didn't think..." "You didn't think I noticed you? I did. The first things I noticed about you were your eyes. How green they are. How beautiful." He wiped at the stream of tears trailing from the eyes he was admiring. "And beautiful as they were then, they are so much more beautiful now. They show me that you are accepting the pain it pleases me to give you. And that acceptance also pleases me. It will please me so much more, Pet, when you're the one who asks me for it. Ah, I see disbelief in your lovely eyes. But you will. One day, you will come to me of your own volition and ask me to give you pain. As you thank me now, then you will beg me for it. "We're not there yet. Not by a long shot. But we will get there, my Pet." That night, instead of chaining Krycek to the floor as he usually did, Skinner placed him again in the same position he had been in all evening, on his back. "See these clamps. Nothing like what I've been using on you. Just plain, nice, ordinary training clamps. Not even tight. Very gentle, all things considered, now that you've trained with real ones. See, they barely hold. Tonight, you'll wear these, to please me. If I come in tomorrow morning and find they've fallen off, I promise you I won't be pleased. And I think you're learning that you only want to please me, aren't you, Pet?" Krycek licked his lips, eyes focused on the clamps that Skinner dangled in front of him. He swallowed hard. "Yes, Master," he whispered. Skinner smiled, blew a stream of air over the closer nipple. Krycek reacted beautifully: he screamed, his body arcing. He screamed again when Skinner released the clamps on the tenderized flesh. Skinner waited until Krycek managed to gasp out, "Thank you, Master." Then he gave his pet's tear-streaked face a last caress and left him to manage. Saturday began with the usual ritual. Skinner shaved his pet's face, all the while humming to himself. He was looking forward to today's activities. During the week, he had made a few modifications to the bathroom. The tub was now surrounded with a brace on which were attached several large rings, one of which now restrained Krycek's hand. For the first time since he'd been caught, Krycek's ankles were released from the fetters and restrained to either side of the brace. He lay, flat on his back, legs spread apart, in the tub. "Yes, your feet are healing well, Pet. Another facet about you that pleases me: you heal fast." He roughly passed his hand along one sole. Krycek winced, stopped himself in time from trying to pull away from his Master's touch. Skinner smiled, was rougher with the other but Krycek managed to hold the foot still. "Did you know," Skinner spoke in his office lecturing voice, "that the average human colon can hold up to six quarts of water? Did you know this, Pet?" "No, Master." Krycek's voice was bland, as though none of this interested him. "I don't think that on a first go you're going to match that, but I think three or four are a distinct possibility." He pointed up to the shower head and the enema bag that hung there. "I fixed that this morning. It holds about two quarts of water so it's not really large enough, but I've prepared more of the solution. According to the instructions I found on the Internet...It's amazing what people will reveal of themselves on the Internet, Pet...Water and a little salt so that the colon won't absorb any of the water. I understand that it may not be very comfortable, but that too is as it should be." Skinner knelt by the side of the tub, reached up for the nozzle that was hooked through the control clamp on the hose. Then he leaned over, with a finger roughly inserted, greased open Krycek's anus. Before he had time to do more than gasp, Skinner pulled his finger out, inserted the nozzle and pushed it in almost its full length. "I think this bag to begin with." And Skinner released the clamp, watched Krycek's face as the solution penetrated Krycek's rectum. When he calculated that half the bag had emptied, he clamped the hose again, waited a few minutes, then released it. Up until now, Skinner's plans for the Saturday morning enemas had been more of the douche variety. But since he'd been pulling off information off the 'Net, he'd gotten more interested in the concept of a thorough cleansing. Oh, he would still use the former, now and then during the week, to train his pet to hold in the water, but for Saturdays, he wanted something deeper. Krycek was definitely feeling uncomfortable. He tried to shift his body to deal with the oncoming wave of cramps. Skinner dropped a hand on his pet's shoulder, anchoring him firmly in place. When the bag showed that most of the water had gone out, he clamped the hose again. "The nozzle stays in, Pet. All the way in, as it is now. I'm going to refill the bag and then we'll continue." The cramps hit hard as Skinner refilled the bag. He watched Krycek try to draw his knees up, try to find a position that, limited though his movements were, would ease the cramps. "This way," Skinner turned his pet to one side as per the instructions he'd been studying. As the web site had indicated, the water in his pet needed to move into the transverse colon. Krycek's sigmoid had expanded causing his belly to swell slightly. Skinner was pleased to see the distention to the abdomen. He passed his hands along his pet's body, massaging the colon area, not to ease the cramps but to help the water further along. When he was satisfied that it had done so, he once more released the clamp and allowed the water to make its way down the hose. Krycek's discomfort grew as more and more of the solution entered his body. He began moving about, as though trying to dislodge the nozzle up his ass. "I understand that some people can get an orgasm from this, Pet. I forbid you to." He grabbed the still sensitive balls and their rings in his large hand and squeezed hard. Krycek screamed, writhing, trying to do anything to release the pressure on his balls. And as he did so, the nozzle slipped out from his anus, water spraying everywhere. Not just from the nozzle, but from his ass as well. Skinner was not happy. He squeezed harder, until Krycek was screaming loudly, twisting in the tub, trying to dislodge Skinner's hand. Skinner never loosened his grip until only a little water trickled out of Krycek's ass. Krycek suddenly started beating his head against the tub, as if trying to knock himself out. Skinner immediately released Krycek's balls, grabbed his head and held it tightly between his large hands. "NO! BAD PET! NO! You may not damage yourself. You may do nothing to yourself that displeases me." It took some minutes for Krycek to still, for his screams to fade to whimpers. Skinner shook his head. "Pet, why do you insist on asking for punishment? It only makes me angry and delays your training." Krycek was in position, ass in the air, hand manacled to the back of the waist belt, spreader in place, ankles once more fettered together. He was gagged. Skinner had fixed the chains so that he was once more locked into position. Without preparation, Skinner inserted the nozzle of an enema bag into Krycek's ass and squeezed. This time, the solution was composed of milk that had been heated and to which molasses had been added. Reaction, according to the documentation Skinner had downloaded, would be fairly quick. Even through the gag, Krycek moaned. Skinner waited until the bag was empty. "I'm pulling the nozzle out, Pet. Nothing else is to follow." No sooner had he pulled the nozzle out than he pushed a butt plug in to work as a stopper. He placed a clock by Krycek's head. "Thirty minutes." And then he made himself comfortable as he watched Krycek deal with the gut-wrenching cramps caused by this particular mixture, the stopper and still maintain his position. At one point, Krycek twisted his head to find Skinner. Though Skinner had no idea what the actual words were, he ignored Krycek's moans, his begging eyes and merely came to sit by him. When Krycek started turning his head away, Skinner held it there. "I want to see your eyes, Pet. Your pain." And his tone persuaded Krycek to comply. "And remember to keep that solution where it belongs. In you. No, don't try to convince me otherwise. You asked for this. You were the one who was disobedient. I've told you repeatedly that all I want from you is your obedience and your pain. If I can't get the first, I will certainly get the second." When the alarm on the clock went off, Skinner released his pet from confinement, dragged him over to the toilet, all the time reminding him that any messes he made would need to be cleaned up afterwards. Skinner prepared a soothing enema for his pet, Krycek lay in the tub and passively accepted it. "I hope I never have occasion to use that milk and molasses solution again. But if I ever do, I will double the time. Is this understood, Pet?" Once he was certain that all this solution had been voided by Krycek's body, Skinner restrained him, on his back, feet flat on the floor. "I did want to prepare you properly for tomorrow's training, Pet, but you wasted so much time that I'm afraid that this will be a rushed session." He began by using the nipple clamps that he was using to stretch the flesh to longer lengths. His pet was used to them by now. They weren't anything new. The human-sized dildo was new. It went into position with some difficulty as Krycek's sphincter automatically closed in defense of tender tissue. "Pet? Is it more punishment that you're asking for?" Krycek's panicky, "No! Master." pleased him. His pet took a deep breath and forced himself to accept. "It stays in. No matter what. Understand, Pet?" "Yes, Master." Krycek's voice was carefully expressionless. Even if the dildo was generously greased—Skinner needed his Pet in good form for tomorrow's training—it took some effort to get the plastic cock in as far as he wanted it to go. Then, still at Krycek's feet, Skinner settled himself on the floor and reached for Krycek's cock. He played with it, comparing its length to his hand, checking out the width at the base, finally examining the glans under the retracted foreskin, all the time aware of the flaccid nature of his pet's cock. Of the worried eyes focused on him. "I'm glad that you're not circumcised, Pet." He rolled the foreskin back and forth, passed his thumb along the slit, rubbing it, the glans, until he felt Krycek struggling not to pull his hips back. Then he held up a clamp, like the ones on Krycek's nipples. He tugged on the foreskin enough so that he could clamp the edges of it shut, closing off the glans. Krycek didn't even try to control his reaction to that. When Skinner came back to remove the toys and settle his pet for the night, Krycek's body shook with tremors that Skinner found very appealing. He would have to try for that effect again. Skinner examined his pet's anus and decided that, though the external muscle was slightly red, the interior tissues sensitive due to the enemas of the previous day, neither was enough reason to defer the next part of his pet's training. In fact, they would make the session all the more pleasing for him. He was, thought Skinner, growing addicted to his pet's screams. Krycek was in position, collar chained to the floor on two sides, on top of the usual chains that held him in place. Skinner knelt behind him, silent. There was no way that Krycek could see what he was going to do with him. He had reacted to the probing finger with an obvious attempt not to. Skinner doubted that he would be so successful during the oncoming session. He carefully greased his pet's anus, using the index finger to open the muscle until he could easily slip in a second finger. His pet was obviously very uncomfortable, even at this early stage of the proceedings. Then he removed both and added more lube to his latex-gloved hand. Every time he added a finger to the penetration, Skinner would pull them out, add more lube and start the procedure over again. In spite of the slow stretching, he knew from Krycek's aborted movements, the gasps, the moans that he was moving from uncomfortable to in pain. Skinner smiled. By the time he had worked in all four fingers, scissoring them open, twisting them back and forth against the anal muscle, his pet was fighting to control his pain. Skinner was overjoyed to hear his pet whimper, "Please, Master," over and over between the gasps, the small choked cries that Krycek could no longer control. "Yes, Pet. This does please me. It pleases me greatly," Skinner's voice hardened suddenly. "Hurts does it? Good. It should. You certainly hurt my department when you fucked us over with that little game you and Spender played with us." This time, he slipped in his thumb. "This is what it felt like when OPC investigated why one of my men should suddenly disappear. What it felt like when it went down on my record that I had allowed a mole of some kind into my department." "Please, Master! Spender..." Krycek's voice grew progressively shriller, "...I had no choice...He ordered me...Please, I had no choice...He would have punished me!" "You had a choice, Pet. You could have come to me. But you chose him. Not a good decision, Pet." "I didn't know! Please, Master, please, you don't understand. Please. Let me explain! Please! It hurts!" And then Skinner gripped Krycek's hips with one hand, placed his elbow against his chest and gradually leaned into the hand that was reluctantly making its way into Krycek's ass. Krycek screamed as the widest part of Skinner's hand seemed to take forever to pass by the aching sphincter. His body bucked in a futile attempt to repel the intrusion. "See, Pet. If you hadn't insisted on punishment yesterday, you would have been better prepared to take this. As for me, well. it's been a while since I've done something like this. More than a few years. I promise to take my time, just to be sure I remember how to do it properly." Skinner held his hand still as he waited for the muscle to adjust to the width of his palm. His pet, he thought angrily, was going to learn to accept anything that pleased his Master without protest. Krycek was breathing roughly through his mouth, an obvious attempt to control his pain. Skinner hadn't gagged him for this training: he was still irritated at yesterday's behaviour and had no intention of making this fisting any easier than it had to be. Yet, it had occurred to him that his pet already had mechanisms in place for controlling pain. From the rapidity with which he stilled his body after some response made Skinner wonder just how much experience his pet had with accepting a man's fist up his ass. When Krycek's muscle stopped spasming, Skinner set it off again by twisting his hand, back and forth, until Krycek no longer tried to choke back his screams. Then, and only then, did he exert enough pressure to push through to the wrist. "Yes, that's good, Pet. You're good and hot inside. But it hurts, doesn't it? Doesn't it, Pet?" as he made a slow fist. "Yes! Master, please!" Krycek's shrill cries were edged with hysteria...music to Skinner's ears. "Please? Of course it pleases me, Pet. It is training for you. Maybe next time, when it pleases me to clean you out properly for this type of training, you won't need to be punished. It hurts so much because of the punishment you forced upon yourself, my Pet. Your idea, if you remember, not mine." Skinner was pleased with the way he had chained Krycek down; though he tried to pull away from his Master's fist, he could barely wriggle. But he could beg, voice gasping, rising in pitch. "Yes, Master. Please, Master, I'm sorry. Please, I'm sorry. Please." Skinner rotated the fist, pushing in a little further. "No, Pet. It's too late for sorries now. You'll just have to accept that it will hurt more because of your actions. Next time, you'll think more about pleasing me than pleasing yourself. Won't you?" Krycek screamed. Still, it was hard work for Skinner. His face grimaced, sweat dripped off his face, wetting his soaked t-shirt as he moved ever so slightly, so that already over-sensitized tissue wouldn't tear more than could be prevented. He didn't mind a little blood, just didn't want his pet to bleed to death. Once he was certain that this lesson had been learnt, he slowly began pulling out his hand. He took his time, very careful that it would be very painful for Krycek. When he finally pulled out his fingers, Skinner felt an incredible thrill overwhelm him, a lovely tingling sensation that started in the pit of his stomach and radiated outward. It took him a moment to realize it was the thrill of ownership. "Pet," he slapped Krycek's aching ass. "I'm waiting." Krycek tried to sob out his thanks. "I didn't get that, Pet. Speak clearly." He circled a warning finger around the still open muscle, making sure the threat was understood. Krycek flinched violently, fought to get his aching throat to enunciate carefully, "Tha...thank...you...Ma...Mas...ter." Skinner stood up. "Yes, Pet. Now to clean you up. A little reward so you don't have to worry about the condition of the floor under you." Skinner slipped something between Krycek's legs and stuck the velcro tabs to each other. "You know, Pet, a diaper looks good on you. I'll have to remember that." Chapter Four—In Which the Many Forms of Beauty Are Discussed Skinner lay on the floor beside his pet, head propped up on an elbow. Krycek lay on his back, knees bent, feet, for once, separated and restrained to either side of his ass, causing it to rise off the floor, leaving his anus easily accessible. "You're afraid, Pet. No, don't try and deny it. I can see it in your eyes. That's good. I want you always to be a bit afraid of what I might do to you. Fear gives your eyes a special glow. No, don't turn your head away. You know what I expect of you." "Yes, Master," Krycek whispered. "So then, tell me, Pet." "When you are close to me, I must keep my eyes open and on you, Master." "Excellent. And why must you do that, Pet?" "So that my pain may please you, Master." "Your pain and your fear, Pet." His pet hurried to correct himself. "Yes, Master. Sorry, Master. So that my pain and my fear may please you. Master." Skinner smiled his approval of his pet's recitation of a lesson learnt the hard way. He reached with his free hand to stroke the hair off his pet's face. Smiled at the visible restraint his pet showed at having it handled. Apart from the time he had been with the FBI, Skinner had never seen Krycek's hair this long. Probably liked to keep it short, he thought, fingering the ends. He had been thinking of cutting it, but lately he was considering how handy it was for gripping. But not now. He let his fingers gently play on his pet's face, enjoying the increased wariness that had joined the fear his pet could not hide. Both gave him pleasure. And there would be more to his pleasure as the session progressed. It was going to be a hard evening for his pet. "You know, Pet, I really like the way the clamps have lengthened your nipples. They were pretty little nubs when we started but now...well, they stand like proud little peaks. Yes, much better. And more sensitive, aren't they, Pet?" He wet the index finger of his free hand in his mouth and playfully stroked the tips of the nipples that had more than doubled in length since he had started training them. Krycek's breath made a small sound of surprise at the touch. Skinner smiled at him. "Yes, they're far more sensitive." He pinched the tips with his fingernails. Krycek's breath whistled as he tried to control the natural reaction of pulling away from the source of his pain. "Aren't they?" he asked again. "Yes, Master," he spoke almost in a whisper. "They hurt easily." Skinner nodded his approval. He amused himself with his pet's nipples, pinching here and there on the areola, until the brown had a red tinge to it. His pet's mouth was tightly closed against any sound. That would change soon, thought Skinner, with a smile. He reached behind him and placed a small container on his pet's sternum then snapped a latex glove on his free hand. Rubbing a finger in the container, he held it up so his pet could see, then passed it under his nose. It was a colourless gel that he knew Krycek had identified by sight and smell as regular lube. He spent a few minutes stroking the gel over nipples and areolae, soothing the pain he had caused to flare in his pet's chest. From his pet's expression it was obvious that he didn't expect this "soothing" to continue. Skinner's smile didn't ease the trepidation in his pet's eyes. Once more he reached behind him and brought up an average-sized butt plug. He kept the plug within easy range of his pet's eyes, generously covered it with the lube, slid down so that he could work it into Krycek's ass without ever taking his eyes off his pet. Taking his place again next to Krycek, he reached down between Krycek's legs, played with the plug, rotating it, pushing it in a little harder. Now and then his fingers flicked his pet's balls, making Krycek wince, gasp as he reawakened the throbbing pain that was never far away. All the time, Krycek's eyes stayed on his Master's face, not once losing contact with his Master's eyes. "Excellent, Pet. See this training isn't so difficult, is it?" "No, Master," whispered Krycek. Skinner's hand found Krycek's penis, played with it as he did before clamping it. This time, with his gloved fingers lubed, there was probably far less pain than normal. Still, Krycek did wince when Skinner showed him the training clamp and, sitting up, used it to pinch shut Krycek's foreskin. As Krycek waited, Skinner played gently for once with his pet's body. Not doing anything to cause serious pain, but stroking along the fading tan lines on his stomach, rubbing his belly, caressing the lines of his ribs. Damn, but he was beautiful, thought Skinner. The green eyes, open wide and showing all the emotion his pet's face rarely did. The strong neck. The wide shoulders. The lengthened nubs, red and slightly swollen from their training. The hairless chest, nicely shaped pecs rising and falling with his pet's controlled anxious breathing. The flat stomach with the dimple navel. The bound scrotum, the cock, flaccid though it was, were perfect for the body that bore them. It crossed Skinner's mind that all this beauty should arouse more in him than aesthetic appreciation. That here he had a beautiful body at his command, so why wasn't he getting some sexual pleasure from it? He found his pet's eyes watching him, trying to gauge where he was going with his training today. No, he thought, right now, his pet's fear was far more enjoyable than any satisfaction he could get from his body. Maybe later. When his pet had been properly trained. His hand skimmed his pet's rib cage, appreciating the small flutters his touch elicited: his pet was so responsive. Over the last week, he had started feeding Krycek more than the Boost when he realized that his pet was losing weight. Now, as well as the liquid supplement, he kept a bowl filled with chopped up power bars. He had been tempted to feed his pet dog food, but decided that the nutrient value was not what his pet needed. Krycek was hungry enough to eat anything. Both bowls were emptied twice a day. When the wariness seemed to fade somewhat from Krycek's eyes, Skinner once more reached behind him, placed another container on his chest. This time he didn't need to pass the gel under Krycek's nose: his nostrils flared at the slight odour. The wariness and fear were back in his eyes. "Same lube, Pet, but with a touch—just a touch—of Tiger Balm to make it interesting." He dabbed some on both nipples, watched as Krycek nearly closed his eyes. He did hiss at the heat that flared up on tissues that were already sore to touch, but kept his eyes on his Master. Skinner added some more of the treated lube to the nipples and rubbed it gently in. "Is this too hot for you, Pet?" Krycek bit his bottom lip, swallowed hard, then gave his head a small shake. "No, Master." Skinner gave him a brilliant smile. Then he held up another plug that was larger than the first. This one too he coated generously with the doctored gel. As he moved to sit by Krycek's ass, his pet visibly braced himself. "Master?" he whimpered. "No, Pet. Now, relax. Loosen your ass or that plug will hurt coming out. It might even tear you. You wouldn't want this gel to get into an open wound, now would you?" It took some concentration on Krycek's part to do as his Master had ordered. Skinner allowed him the time, knowing that the longer it took to insert the plug, the more pain Krycek anticipated. He slipped the first plug out and the second one in as Krycek took a breath. His lips pulled back from his teeth in a grimace of pain. Skinner didn't give him any time to adjust: he played the plug in and out until Krycek's hips rose, trying to get away from the burning sensation in his ass. While still at Krycek's ass, Skinner unclamped the foreskin and passed his still lubricated finger around the glans. Krycek gasped his shock at the burning heat that flared up on sensitive tissue. Skinner dabbed a touch on the piss slit—the gasp became a moan—and reclamped the foreskin shut. Then he lay next to his pet and watched as Krycek coped with the burning sensations on his chest, in his ass, on his penis. His skin developed a fine sheen, his jaw was clenched against the sounds that he tried to control, his hips rose and descended as they tried to adjust to the sensation of burning in his anus. Finally, after several minutes, Krycek won out over his body's reaction. And, all the while, he had kept his eyes on his Master. Skinner smoothed back the now dampened hair. "Beautiful, Pet. You really have no idea how beautiful you are when you fight to win over the pain. But, one day, soon I hope, your first reaction will be to accept, not to fight it. You will let me see openly the pain that you feel, let me hear your cries. "Mind you, I hope you never lose the fear you try so hard to hide. Whoever had you before me trained you well not to wear your fear on your face." In spite of his pain, Krycek looked startled. Ah, thought Skinner, so someone had had a run at taming the rat. "But, fortunately, your eyes never learnt that lesson. And you will unlearn those other lessons that you were taught. You will show me all your fear, all your pain, never hide any of that from me." He caressed the jaw clenched so tightly. "I want to hear your reaction as well as see it, Pet. Remember that from now on. Then he reached for yet another small container. The proportion of Tiger Balm to gel this time was much higher. "Did I mention it was extra-strength, Pet? You'll feel it more this time." Skinner was well pleased with his pet's vocal reaction to this ointment. "NO! No! Please! Master, I beg you." "No?" Skinner sounded surprised. "You're saying no to your Master? Pet. Do you still not understand? You have absolutely no say in what I do to you. You're only here to accept. And to hope that in the acceptance, you manage to please me. I don't ever want to hear you tell me no again." He hardened his tone. "Is that understood, Pet?" He watched his pet's face as the realization of his situation finally penetrated. "I'm waiting, Pet. Is that understood?" "Please, Master. This isn't you, not Skinner. Skinner sucker punched me. He cuffed me to his balcony. But he's not...he wouldn't...he couldn't tor..." Skinner raised his eyebrows in exaggerated surprise. "I wouldn't what? Torture you? But I'm not, Pet. This isn't torture. This is training. Maybe if I wanted information out of you, I might be tempted to torture you. If there was something that you had and wouldn't give to me. A thing that once you handed over, it wouldn't matter if you lived or died. "But, you see, Pet, I have no need of information and I have no intention of killing you. I just want to train you. Train you to accept me as your Master. A Master who can do what he wants with you. A Master you will be eager to please. And right now, it pleases me to use this on you." The colour of Krycek's nipples blazed red as the burn increased their now extreme sensitivity. Krycek screamed when, as a form of test, Skinner pinched them to see Krycek's face contort. The butt plug was larger, longer; the burn, far more intense when Skinner played with it before moving on to the penis that jerked when he took it in his hand. This time, Skinner passed a cotton swab in the gel, inserted it into the piss slit. And twisted it. Krycek's howl was beautiful. "I love to hear you scream, Pet." Skinner rubbed Krycek's shoulder, stomach in calming circles. "It means that your training is taking. You seem to remember so much better when what I do to you makes you scream." He used a dampened face cloth to wipe the mixture of sweat and tears off his pet's face. This time he barely allowed his pet time to adjust. When Krycek saw the next container, he shook his head back and forth. "Please, Master," he begged brokenly. "Please! I'm sorry. I'm really sorry! Please! It hurts so much. Please!" "But it's supposed to hurt, Pet. How else are you going to pay for what you did to us? To me. To Scully. To Mulder." "Please, I'm sorry," his pet panted. "They gave me orders. I had to obey them. They owned me. If I hadn't obeyed..." "They don't own you any more, Pet," snapped Skinner, suddenly peeved with his pet's attempt to avoid his training. "I do! And you will accept my training, without question." He grabbed his pet by the hair and stuck his own face close to the other's. "How else," he snarled, "are you going to learn and accept that your body belongs to me? Inside and outside. That I can do with it as I please. Because it pleases me. Because it is just as you deserve. Think of all the pain you've caused people over the years, Pet. Accept your training as something you justly deserve." Skinner released his pet and took a deep breath to calm himself down. When he spoke, he did so in a reasonable tone. "Besides, I think I've already told you that pain makes you more beautiful to me. I love what it does to you. This time," Skinner held up the container, "it will really hurt. I want you to show me how much it hurts." The preparation was almost all Tiger Balm. And Skinner was more than generous with his anointments. Krycek's screams seemed to tear out of his throat. His back arched as Skinner carefully rubbed the ointment on his nipples. Instead of a butt plug, this time Skinner coated half of a large, two-headed dildo, inserted that end in and used the other to play it in and out of Krycek's ass. He didn't use any of this gel on his penis, deciding that it might cause some damage to his pet's glans and he didn't want that to happen. He gave him time to adjust to this new level of hurt, watching all the while with a hint of a smile as his pet fought to keep his eyes on his Master. "Good, Pet. You remembered to keep your eyes on me. "Remember also that this pain is something you deserve." Skinner drew one eyebrow then the other with a fingertip. "Tell me why you deserve this pain, Pet. Why it is just and right that you should feel pain." For a moment there, Skinner thought his pet was going to challenge him. He smiled at the conflict he could see on his pet's face: whether to concede and admit that he deserved this treatment, or to fight, knowing that either way Skinner would not stop the pain. Skinner felt the lovely warmth of triumph when Krycek whispered, between gasps, "I deserve it...because...of what...I did...to you." "Just to me?" Skinner skimmed a finger over nipples that he knew could barely take it. "No," cried his pet. "To Scully. To Mulder. Please, Master..." "It pleases me greatly to hear you finally admit that you wronged us, Pet. That you need to pay for all the pain you caused. No matter what your masters of the time ordered you to do, you need to remember that you did have choices." Whenever Krycek's cries lessened, his hips settled into a regular rhythm of avoidance, Skinner added more of the Balm solution to nipples and dildo so that the burn flared up until he realized that Krycek was having trouble catching his breath between screams. Then, much as he enjoyed hearing the strangled cries, the moans, the whimpering of his pet as he accepted the pain that was due him, Skinner stopped. He'd attained his goal for the night: he'd gotten his pet to acknowledge that this training was appropriate. As Krycek moaned incoherently, trying to ride out the pain, Skinner gathered all the containers and used toys, even removing the clamp from Krycek's penis. He cleaned everything properly in the bathroom, watching with enjoyment as Krycek writhed on the floor. He recapped each container and put them away in the medicine cabinet for use on another day. When the noise and movements lessened, Skinner leashed his pet and unchained him. Krycek was beyond responding to his Master's command to "Heel!" Finally, Skinner conceded that his pet was really not able to co-operate. He took hold of the waist belt and dragged him into the bathroom as he had done in the early days. Krycek was barely aware as Skinner positioned him in the tub. Skinner carefully wiped the excess gel from Krycek's nipples, causing him to scream again. But then he placed two small plastic bags filled with an icy slush on the abused flesh and, with the cold, came an easing of the burning. He took his pet's penis in hand and removed as much of the gel that remained with a cotton swab. Holding the foreskin back, he dribbled water that he had kept in the freezer over the glans, the piss slit. He opened another of the slush bags and inserted the over-sensitized member into it. He wrapped a rubber band loosely around the bag to hold it in place. Lastly, into Krycek's ass, he inserted a plastic water-filled butt plug that had also spent some time in the freezer. He had lubed it with a gel that was supposed to ease the fire in his pet's ass. It was, Skinner thought, amazing how the store with the purple bags had toys for every occasion and situation. Kneeling by the tub, he gently wiped the sweat off Krycek's body. "You make me so proud, Pet, when you take all that I give you. It shows me how worthy you are of your training. Look at me. Yes, Pet. You're doing well. So well. Tonight, you were almost where I want you to be. It's coming. Soon you will be what I want you to be. The perfect Pet." He waited, frowning when he had to cue his pet, "What do you have to say to me, Pet?" "Thank...you...Master." Krycek's throat rasped. "That's a good pet." Skinner stroked Krycek's cheek. "I'll be back in a few minutes, Pet, to get you." When he returned, Krycek's eyes were shut. There were shadows around them and his body trembled, either from reaction or the cold treatment. Skinner quickly removed all the bags, the plug and inspected his pet's body. The nipples were a blazing red and so sensitive, even cold, that Skinner's breath passing over them caused Krycek to whimper. The glans head was almost purple and the slit was a fine, tight line. Krycek screamed when Skinner inserted a finger in his ass to see just how swollen he was. He couldn't resist moving it about more than need be just to hear his pet's cries. Skinner reluctantly admitted, but only to himself, that he may have allowed this training to go on too long. It was obvious that his pet would not be up to another such training session for a day or so. He had to remember, no matter how much pleasure he got out of these sessions, he did have to consider his pet's health. Well, he was taking a step toward that tonight, he assured himself. And it added another dimension to his plans for his pet. He used some medicated ointment to soothe the burning pain, even if he had to cause some more when he greased a gloved finger and inserted it into his pet's ass. This time, when Skinner tugged on the lead, his pet managed to heel in position back into the room. Skinner lead him to a far corner and stopped, waiting for his pet to finally raise his vision from the floor. They were at a narrow futon that was covered with a thick, over- big polar fleece envelope. Still dazed with pain, not understanding, Krycek turned confused eyes up to his Master. As Skinner crouched by his pet's side, he wrapped the lead around his hand so that his pet could not turn his head away. With the other hand, he played with his pet's hair. "You pleased me greatly tonight, Pet. You've come a long way. I think you finally understand that you have no choice but to accept your training. That, in fact, you are in great need of this training. And tonight, you finally stopped hiding your pain from me. So many steps taken in your new life as a pet deserve a reward, don't you think?" His pet responded with a whispered, "Thank you, Master," though he couldn't hide his disbelief that he was going to be allowed to rest on something other than the floor. "One thing. Before I allow you to get on it, I just want to remind you that rewards can be taken away. Do you understand that?" "Yes, Master." "Would you prefer to sleep on your stomach or your back, Pet?" Krycek shook his head as though he didn't understand the request. Even exhausted, he seemed wary of giving an answer. "This is your mat, Pet. It is your safe place. Here, there is neither training nor punishment. Only reward. I will continue to chain you, but not as tightly as when you are on the floor. The floor will be only for training or—and this will be up to you—punishment. When either one is done, and if you have pleased me, I may bring you here to your mat. "You know that when I tell you something I hold by it. When I tell you you're training, I train you. When I tell you you must be punished, I punish you. Is this not so, Pet?" Krycek licked his bitten lips before listlessly answering, "Yes, Master." "Now I am telling you that this is your place. Your mat. Your place of reward. My word is no less reliable." Eyes intent on his Master's face, Krycek slowly nodded. "Yes, Master. Thank you, Master. On my back, if it pleases you, Master." Skinner smoothed back his pet's hair. "Yes, Pet. This pleases me. It will always please me to reward you." Krycek moved onto the mat, lay on his back. Skinner locked a chain to his collar as he always did before removing the lead. This time, however, instead of barely allowing him to move his head, the chain was long enough for him to raise his head a good six inches off the futon. The same with the chain that went from the ankle restraints to the floor. The knee spreader made it difficult to turn his body around, had his pet even wanted to, but, for the first time since his capture, Krycek slept on a warm covering on a material softer than a cold hard floor. A quick inspection of his pet's body and Skinner knew that it would need more than a night to recover. Still, that was no reason to stop his pet's training, merely a chance to move on to another facet. He left his pet in position as he dressed for work. Then he entered, crouched by his pet's side and held his chin so that his eyes were on him. "Something new today, Pet." And he warmed at the instant fear that filled his pet's beautiful eyes. With gentle hands, he raised the fire that still lurked in his pet's nipples, his penis, even his ass. "You feel all this, don't you, Pet?" "Yes, Master," gasped Krycek. "You have learnt to accept the pain, Pet. Now you must learn to take it into yourself. To do more than merely accept, but to submit to it. To make it one with you." The nipple clamps he put on were really quite gentle, but they would keep the level of fire up throughout the day. As would the clamp on his foreskin and the thin, narrow plug that Skinner generously lubed before gently easing into a sheath that was tender to any touch. "When I train you, Pet, your pain is for my pleasure. Today, I am going to gag you, blindfold you, plug your ears and then I will hood you." His pet flinched violently at that. Yes, the hood had to have certain associations for his pet that he might one day have to investigate. "You will be in position and you will remain that way until I come and remove these things. "I want you to use these times to take the pain into yourself. When you are in submission, I will never touch you, Pet, until I want the session to end. Do you understand?" Sinner watched as Krycek panted, trying to control his fear. "Yes, Master," he whispered. "Good." Skinner placed the waxed ear plugs into his pet's ears, slipped a leather bit gag into his mouth, attaching it firmly but not painfully. He placed a padded blindfold over his eyes and tied it snugly. Before putting on the hood, he caressed his pet's head, telling him how much his behaviour pleased him. He even kept his hands on his pet's head until his breathing was less panicky. Then he roughly passed his hands over his pet's body, bringing up the level of pain. Skinner stood, looked down at the picture his trembling pet made and nodded. The blackness of the hood only served to emphasize the pale beauty of his pet's nudity. Skinner was suddenly aware of the hardening at his groin. Well, that was a new development. One to think about. He passed his hand over the slight bulge in his trousers. No, not yet. As he locked the door behind him, Skinner thought that beautiful as his pet was in this position, he had plans to make him even more beautiful. When he came home that night, his pet's hips were not as high as Skinner would have liked them to be, but the expression in his eyes was more than he had expected. Krycek's eyes were heavy, unfocused. It took him some time to realize that his Master was with him and had removed the hood and the blindfold. Skinner sat next to his pet and stroked his head, caressed his face until the green eyes saw what they were looking at. He smiled his approval then. While Krycek finished coming back from whatever place deep within himself he had found, Skinner removed the ear plugs, the gag and the toys. He had his pet turn over onto his back. Slowly, he rubbed circles around his pet's nipples—carefully not touching them, over his chest, abdomen, hips. "Master," said Krycek. Not in pain. Not in fear. Not in acceptance. Almost, thought Skinner, with a hint of pleasure at seeing him. He stroked the long hair off his pet's face and wondered if Krycek were aware of the gift pet had just given master. Skinner sat on the floor watching his pet eat his supper. Besides the Boost, the chopped up power bars, he had decided, in order to maintain his pet's health, to add a bowl of food now and then. Tonight, there was some chicken stew that his pet was eating rapidly, going so far as to lick the bowl so clean that it could have passed his mother's inspection. He had read on the Internet that keeping a "pet" on the edge of hunger would only improve his willingness to accept training. Besides, he told himself, it was not as though his pet now needed the caloric intake he had needed when he had been working for the Consortium. He wasn't running anywhere, either to do what he had been ordered to do, or to escape the consequences of obeying those orders. And an edge of hunger would make his pet all that much more appreciative of these little treats. After he finished eating, Skinner inspected his pet thoroughly for the next evening's training. He had allowed his pet to have an easy time of it this last week, wanting him to be in the best state possible. That didn't mean that his training had been stopped. Every morning, after seeing to it that his pet was positioned near his water and the bowl of Boost, Skinner liked to insert a butt plug into his pet's ass, using progressively larger ones. He'd taken to wrapping one of those weight bags around the rings stretching his pet's balls, to help them do their work. Now and then, he liked to leave his pet's ass tingling from a few good solid strokes of the strap. Little things to remind him that he should spend the day preparing himself for the evening's attentions. Tonight, though Krycek flinched when he pulled on his nipples, the training clamps had worked only to lengthen the flesh, not abuse it. His glans was a healthy red and the piss slit was no longer a thin line, but the opening that it should be. As for his ass, Skinner was pleased that the tenderness was gone. The plugs he had been using had been lubricated with a medicated gel as well as the usual lube. As he had most nights since its introduction, he led his pet to the mat, settled him for the night. He spent some time caressing his pet's body, stroking him. Krycek lay still for what was becoming a ritual whenever he was taken to his mat. Not training, merely a soothing. Skinner thought that his pet was growing fond of this ritual. So was he. The next evening, Skinner fed his pet a light meal, then left him in position while he went and got a long, narrow, coffee table which he had modified for his pet's training. There were restraints all around the border so that no matter how Skinner placed him, his pet could be held immobile. Skinner also brought in a short stool and what looked to be a TV tray on wheels. To this he added a couple of floor lamps with high wattage bulbs. He released his now uneasy pet and led him to the table. "Up, Pet." For a moment, he thought maybe his pet was going to disobey, especially when he saw him sneak a look at the door. But that's all it was: a look. With resignation, Krycek lifted his chest, lay it down and tried to get his knees up. Skinner graciously lent him a hand. "On your back, Pet." Skinner already had prepared a couple of chains which he attached to his pet's collar before he unfettered his ankles and attached each to one of the restraints on either side of the table's end. He aligned his pet's body further down so that his ass was closer to the edge. Then he substituted two very short leather leads for the chains at his pet's collar. A wide strap was fitted over his pet's hips, snugly attached to the sides, and another held his shoulders flat on the table. Lastly, Skinner released his pet's hand and restrained it over his head. Then he smiled at the now trembling pet who lay exposed to his wishes. Skinner dragged the stool over by Krycek's head and gently worked his hand from the upper strap to the lower in that soothing ritual he had trained his pet to accept. "You know that I think you're beautiful. Don't you, Pet?" Krycek licked his lips. "Yes, Master." "And you are. Very beautiful. Not just your eyes, your body, but your acceptance that I am your Master." Krycek said, "Yes, Master," but nervously. "But beautiful as you are, I think I would like to see you more beautiful. I am going to make you more beautiful, my pet. I am going to decorate you as you deserve." Krycek swallowed dryly. "Yes, Master. Thank you, Master." "You're welcome, Pet. Now relax, you won't find this hard. I just don't want you to move, that's all. That's why you're restrained this way." He reached over to the TV tray. "Rings, Pets. Gold as befits your beauty. You'll look regal in gold." He stood and turned on the lamps so that they lit up Krycek's body. "When I tell you to, I want you to take a breath and hold it. I understand the pain is sharp but quick. You'll probably find it pretty much like a sting. I doubt that you'll even notice, not any more. I'll start with this nipple. The first one goes at the base. Yes, Pet, the first. You'll wear two of these on each nipple. That's why I've lengthened them, so that you can carry two." The instructions off the Internet had been quite right to suggest practising on orange peel. The texture was the same. The amount of pressure needed to make the holes was about what he had using on the peel. Still, his pet's nipples had been so highly sensitized that Skinner was glad that he had strapped him down so securely to the table. Krycek gasped, his body trying to jerk away, at the making of the first hole, more so with the second. In just a few minutes, the left nipple was adorned at its base with a gold ring about an inch in diameter while a smaller one hung mid-way. Skinner placed a cotton ball soaked in hydrogen peroxide over the wounded nipple to prevent infection. Krycek hissed his inhalation. Skinner ignored his pet's moaning reactions to the piercings of his other nipple. "There. That portion of it is done. Not difficult at all, now was it, Pet? But aren't you going to thank me?" Skinner allowed a hint of disapproval to colour his voice. "Yes, Master. Sorry, Master. Thank you, Master." And then his pet added, without the need for Skinner to remind him, "For the decorations, Master." Skinner smiled his approval. "Now for the one in your navel." He held it up for Krycek to see. It was larger than the base ring. "Gold, too." Skinner felt his pet's body brace itself. He carefully pinched some skin with the upper part of the indentation and cleanly pierced the skin. His pet's voice rose. "These rings are all self locking. Very solidly built for all their beauty. You'll be careful with them, won't you? Wouldn't do for them to be torn off your body." "No, Master," Krycek's face was tear-streaked. In spite of the bindings, his body quivered. "I'll be careful, Master," he panted. "Thank you, Master." Skinner nodded then moved the stool to the foot of the table and Krycek's exposed genitals. "It's time to add another ring to your balls, Pet." "N..." "What?" Skinner looked down at his pet, his disapproval evident on his face. "Were you about to tell me no, Pet?" "Please, Master," his pet began weeping in earnest, his body trembling in spite of its confinement. "Please, oh, please." Skinner's first reaction was to snap at his pet. How dare he resist his Master's wishes! But he caught himself. His pet was truly frightened. What the Master saw as embellishments, the pet took as punishment. Skinner went to crouch by his pet's head. He passed a gentle hand, a soothing hand over his pet's face, murmuring to him until he saw his pet was more in control of his fear. "No, Pet, no. This is not punishment, my Pet. These are to make you even more beautiful. Yes, there is pain in the process, but afterwards, you will be all the more beautiful in my eyes. You will please so much more. Surely that's worth some pain?" "Master..." his pet whimpered. "Pet, it's obvious that you're no stranger to pain. This pain is tolerable. And it has a purpose. To decorate you so that the sight of you will be even more pleasing to me than it already is." He rubbed his pet's body in soothing circles between his nipples and his navel. He examined his pet's body and smiling, eyes appreciative, he looked back into his pet's eyes. "Already, you are so much more beautiful, Pet. I just want to add to your beauty. All it will take is a few minutes more. It may hurt for a few hours after I'm done, but you've shown me that you can handle pain. That you can, in fact, accept much more." Skinner wiped the tears off his pet's cheeks with his thumb. "You see, nothing to be afraid of. Now, then, the sooner I finish, the sooner you will be beautiful, the sooner you will please me." He gave his pet a last caress and moved back down to the end of the table. He held up the ring again for his pet's viewing. "This one is slightly different. To begin with, it's wider, about the width of two of these rings. And it's much heavier. It's decorated with a series of small loops to hang weights from. Take a deeper breath, Pet." His pet's moans grew as with one hand Skinner pulled on his scrotum and, with the other, moved the rings around so that he could add the new one. "Yes, there. Right in the middle of the others. Perfect. Ah, a little tender, is that? Not to worry: you'll soon get used to the additional weight." It took his pet a little longer to thank him. Skinner knew that his pet's balls were quite sensitive to being handled at the best of times. And the new ring had required a fair amount of manipulation to be locked in place. His pet deserved some reassurance. "You're doing well, Pet. This pleases me so much." He waited until his pet had settled before continuing. "And now for your cock." Krycek's mouth opened and Skinner wondered if his pet were going to make him regret all the time he had spent reassuring him. But then, to his pleasure, his pet merely asked, "Please, Master. One minute?" Skinner reached over to rub his pet's body in the way that seemed to calm him. He spoke softly to his pet, explaining his decision, hoping it would help his pet accept. "You know, Pet, I thought about this hard and long. At first, I thought that a ring, a small one through the glans and piss slit would not only add to the beauty of your cock, but it could be functional as well. Then I decided that it might interfere with some of the training I have yet to do with you. I even considered a stud, right through the glans, but I don't think I would feel quite ready yet to put one of those on you. "So, I've decided on something simpler. An oval rather than a ring, and through the base of your foreskin. With a link, I can hold your cock to your navel which will leave your balls open to my touch. I must admit, Pet, I am growing quite fond of touching you. And it's only a little pain more." "Now take a deep breath and it will be over before you know it." The breath only added volume to his pet's scream as the needle pierced the tender foreskin. Skinner moved quickly to insert the oval, aware that his pet was reaching his limits. Skinner looked down on his pet and evaluated his adornment. The small nipple ring hung down only as far as the base where the larger ring lay on the areola. Gold within gold. Even if he allowed his pet's nipples to return to nubs, the double rings would still enhance their beauty. And he could further decorate them on whim. The navel ring was definitely a fancy. Still, it could withstand a fair amount of pull and an unaroused cock attached to it would pull delightfully. He allowed his pet some time to become accustomed to his new decorations, all the while stroking him, soothing him. "So beautiful, my Pet. You'll see. Well worth this pain. You've pleased me so much tonight." He lead his pet through the night's ritual, letting him set the pace for the trip to the toilet. There, he used a warm wet face cloth to wipe the tear stains off his pet's face, the sweat and the small drops of blood from his pet's body. With more kindness than he had yet shown his pet, Skinner led him to his mat and settled him for the night, again taking the time to soothe him, to tell him again how beautiful he was to his Master. But, as he left the room, it crossed his mind that, beautiful as his pet's new adornments were, he really did want to put his mark on him as well. Chapter Five—In Which Matters Take a Dangerous Path Skinner opened the door to his pet's room and watched as frantic eyes looked up to greet him. The meeting had gone on long after the time allotted and Skinner was hours late getting back to his pet. He'd gotten up early to position him for the day's training. He knew his pet would still be sore from the piercings, but that was no reason to stop training. After all, his ass and his mouth had not been pierced. He intended to train his pet to take something down his throat without gagging. Something fairly large. So his mouth would need to be trained to open to its fullest. He had found the loveliest gadget for that purpose on the Internet: a rubber- coated brace that fit over the teeth and that, with just the turn of a screw, could be extended to keep a mouth open as much as one determined. Skinner had set it to as near full as he thought his pet could tolerate on the first day. Then he had inserted one of the larger double-headed dildos, very well lubed, into his pet's ass, added a couple of light weights to the head that hung over his fettered ankles and instructed him to hold it in until he came home. The weights were not particularly heavy but, throughout the day, they would feel more so as his pet worked to keep the other lavishly-lubed half of the dildo from slipping out of his body. Skinner had warned his pet of the consequences should he come home and find the dildo not where he had put it. But he should have been home hours ago and his pet had been in this position far longer than he had planned. As Skinner went about turning on the lights as he usually did, he noticed that the dildo was on the floor, not in his pet's ass. So, he thought, that explained his pet's frantic expression, not the fact that he was so late in getting back from Headquarters. And he had reason to be frantic. Skinner said nothing, merely picked up the dildo and placed it in the bathroom sink to clean. He carefully removed the brace from his pet's mouth, noticing that, at first, his pet couldn't close his mouth. Still, he said nothing. He went and prepared his pet's food as he normally did every evening. But instead of bringing his pet to the food, he left him in position and went to make himself something to eat, then took the time to shower. When he returned to the room, Krycek had finally been able to close his mouth, though he didn't look up at his Master. Skinner came to crouch by his disobedient pet. With no gentleness, he gripped his pet's hair and forced him to face the anger on his Master's face. "You were told to keep that dildo in you until I came home, Pet," Skinner snapped. Krycek tried to say something but, with his other hand, Skinner painfully gripped his chin with his fingers, pressed his thumb hard on the stressed jaw joint. His pet's eyes filled with tears at the pain that flared up in that side of his face. "To begin with, it's too late to punish you tonight. I'll do so tomorrow night. That will give you time to think about the possibilities. Of what I might do to get you to understand that when I tell you to do something, you have no option but to do it." Krycek whimpered in reaction to the increased pressure of Skinner's grip. Skinner's voice grew colder and colder as he got angrier. "Hell, Pet! I may not be able to exert control over the events developing at Headquarters, but I damn well expect to be in control of you! "Oh, that's right. You don't know what's happening, do you? You remember all that information that you dumped on us, information that we used to round up your former masters? Well, you would be surprised as to whom else is implicated in all that. "No, come to think of it, you wouldn't be, would you? You knew that the information would lead to many more arrests. In more departments than we would have thought possible. "But did you know that the people in power don't want to believe us? Even when we produce the proof of this so-called shadow government? Seems they were stupid enough to think they were the ones actually running things, not a bunch of old men no one really knew about. Would you like to hazard a guess as to their response, having to face cold, hard facts? "They think we're making all this up. That I and my team bear grudges and are trying to destroy 'good'," his voice dripped with scorn, "people. Important people. People who are vital to this nation. Far more vital than we are, my team and I. "Of course, the fact that we won't go away, that every day we discover more incriminating evidence doesn't exactly make us very popular. In fact, we seem to be facing that old backlash: if you can't deny the message, then at least kill the messenger. "There appears to be a consensus in some circles that we should be disciplined. Can you believe that, Pet? For doing our jobs. Oh, and that maybe our loyalty needs investigating." Skinner released his hold on his pet's face. He stood up. His pet's eyes dropped to his feet. "While you think about all that, think about the food that's in plain sight, because that's as close to it as you're getting tonight. As for the toilet, since I don't intend having to put up with any messes..." Skinner went into the bathroom, came out with a diaper that he fitted on his pet. Then he turned out the light and went out. When he entered the room the next evening, his pet looked at him with barely controlled terror. He wished he knew just how his pet thought he was going to be punished to elicit such fear. Maybe another time. He set down his briefcase and the purple bags, leashed his pet and took him to the bathroom. There in the tub, he removed the soiled diaper, roughly cleaned him off. Still, he said nothing at all, merely took him to the bowl with the Boost. His pet barely lapped any up. "Is that all you want, Pet?" Krycek closed his eyes, visibly bracing himself. "Yes, Master." His voice was so faint that Skinner barely heard him. "Yesterday, what were you told to do, Pet?" "To keep the dildo in me, Master, until you removed it." "And did you?" For a moment, Skinner thought his pet was going to offer excuses. He looked up, mouth partially open until he must have realized from Skinner's expression that, for all the calm in his voice, he was very displeased with his pet. Krycek's mouth closed and he shook his head. "And so rather than obey me, you're making me punish you, Pet." Krycek waited in position, his shoulders and face on the floor, body trembling slightly as though his nerves were twitching under his skin. The sight, thought Skinner, helped make up for the days he was having at work. "On your back, Pet." Skinner took his time chaining his pet's collar to the floor, the ankle fetters so that his feet were restrained to either side of his ass, causing his hips to rise. His hand was attached to his collar. Skinner snapped a cock ring tightly onto his pet's flaccid cock, slipped a ball bit into his mouth then went and got one of the purple bags. His pet never once resisted any of his preparations. Skinner assumed that he knew tonight his Master would have no patience whatsoever with any delay to his plans. The metallic butt plug was shiny, even more so after Skinner took his time greasing it generously with the special lube that he took out of the purple bag. It slipped in easily enough, being smaller than most of the dilators he had been inserting in his pet's ass. There were wires that led from it to a box with dials that Skinner set up in plain view of his pet. He took another item out of the other bag, something that resembled a thin dark pencil about six inches long that also had wires coming out of one end. After he lubed it, Skinner took hold of his pet's now blood-engorged cock and pulled it high towards his navel. Carefully, he squeezed the glans so that the piss slit opened wider and he twisted the thin rod in until it was all but an inch in the urethra. Then he removed the cock ring. From the bag, Skinner removed a rubber ring and threaded the rod's wires through it so that he could use the ring to hold back the foreskin against the shaft. Then he used the oval clip that he had added as decoration, threading the wires through it twice and attaching these to another box, also in his pet's view. "Next time, Pet, when I tell you to hold something in you, I'm sure that you will." He began playing with the dials on the box wired to his pet's cock. Krycek's eyes opened wide and he made a choked sound as a light shock hit him. "Not really painful, Pet. More along the lines of something to remind you what I could be doing to your cock if I were less than fair in my punishments." Then he played with the dials on the other box. Krycek's scream was only partially muted by the bit, his hips bucking as his ass tried to eject the plug. "Now then," said Skinner thoughtfully, "this lesson won't be worth the learning if you manage to push out that plug." He turned down the dials, reached again inside the purple bag and removed what looked to be a long strap that was partially slit down the middle. He snapped the solid end to the back of the waist belt, placed Krycek's ringed balls and wired cock over the leather where it split into two, snapping the two ends to the front of the belt. "No way for you to push the plug out now and it frames your balls and cock nicely. "The electrical current really isn't strong enough to do permanent damage, Pet. The next time I put a dildo up your ass, you will hold it there. The current going to your cock will remain steady. One impulse every five minutes, and never stronger than what it is now. But your ass will be on a different schedule with different levels of voltage. From a twinge to high. From several minutes apart to a series of impulses. I thought the variety might keep your interest." He stood by, watching, just to be sure that the machines worked as the shopkeeper had said they would. His pet went wild-eyed as the current shocked his body. His voice rose as his hips did, depending on the force of the current. He begged Skinner with his eyes, with all the pleading he could put on his face. Skinner watched, expressionless, until he was certain that his pet would not be able to expel either probe, then he settled himself on the floor, back to a wall, and dealt with the work he had brought home with him. Now and then, he would look up to see how his pet was dealing with the punishment and then go back to the papers in his hands. Three hours later, he finished reading and making notations on the last report. Krycek was dripping sweat, his hips twitching as he was hit by one of the lower level shocks. He looked at his Master, muffled voice and eyes begging even as another series of shocks hit him. He screamed, body arched, muscles trembling violently. Skinner went over to play with the boxes. "I'm changing the time span, Pet, to a half hour between charges. If you time things well, you should be able to get some sleep between impulses." And he went to bed. The next morning, Skinner removed the electrified toys from his exhausted pet and prepared him for his day. He was interested to see that the muscles continued spasming, even when the current had been removed. It worried him in passing when his pet barely managed to lap any liquid: his throat had to be dry after the night's exertions. He restrained his pet in position, placed the water bottle by his face so that he could easily reach it with his mouth. He patted him on his head before leaving. "Training tonight, Pet, so don't do anything that will make me have to punish you. Is this understood?" "Yes...Master," rasped his pet. Skinner checked out the new position he had had his pet assume. Stomach over an ottoman that he had brought up from the living room. Collar and hand chained to floor, ankles too so that his legs were pulled straight. He had come home to find the water bottle empty which reassured him that his pet was ready for his next bout of training. Skinner crouched by his pet's head, stroking the hair off his face, thumb caressing the bristle on a cheek. "I decorated you, Pet, to make you more beautiful. But now I want you to wear my marks on your body. So that when I look at you, I see not only your beauty, but that you belong to me. For you, these marks are there to remind you that you deserve all this. That your actions in the past have led you to this. "I'll put them back whenever they fade, but I'll only restrain you in this way until I'm certain that you can accept your marks without moving." He brought the thin cane into his pet's line of vision. "Three strokes on your shoulders. One for me. One for Scully. One for Mulder. And three more on your ass, three on your thighs. You will count out each one, tell me whom it's for and thank me for the privilege of wearing my marks on your body, Pet. Should you forget, I will repeat that one on the soles of your feet. Is this understood?" "Please, I did what I could," Krycek begged. "I gave you all that I safely could!" "Safely for whom, Pet? For you?" Skinner continued smoothing the hair off his face so he could see it. "You think I don't understand that you were keeping a foot in both camps, covering all bases, just so that you would have what you thought was secure footing on the winning side? "But you slipped, Pet. Into my hands." Krycek protested, although weakly. "You did the same thing." "I did? When?" Krycek didn't respond. Skinner grabbed his hair and shook him sharply. "I asked you a question, Pet." "When you got the job as AD," his pet whimpered. "You knew you were going to have to pay for it." Skinner grew very cold. His pet must have realized that he had tread into dangerous territory because he began sputtering, "I'm sorry, Master. I didn't mean to..." "To bring it up? But you have. So why don't you continue. What do you know about my appointment as AD?" He gave his pet another sharp shake. "I'm waiting." Krycek grimaced. "Spender pulled the strings that got you the job. On order of some of the New York Elders. They thought you were ambitious enough to be appropriately grateful. Please, Master." "No, go on. It seems that you were further up the ranks than we thought. What else do you know?" Krycek's voice turned pleading. "I only know that because Spender discussed it with the Brit when I was in the room. And then another time, when he was pissed off that you weren't acting the way they had expected. That's when they decided on the nanocytes. As a way of bringing you back under their control." "But it didn't work, did it, Pet? I made a choice and stuck by it." His pet turned panicky. "You needed me on the inside. If it hadn't been for me...I did what I could." "What?" Skinner sounded dramatically surprised. "Surely you didn't expect us to welcome you with open arms? Call you a...hero?...for the chances you took?" Skinner's voice hardened. "Well, Pet, welcome to reality. Where the guys in the black hats have so much power that when you take them down, your name becomes mud. Where you have to defend yourself for having done the right thing, the just thing. "So, Pet, you see, doing what you could was not good enough. Now, do you understand?" "Yes, Master." His pet's body was already quivering in anticipation of the pain coming its way. "So thank me, Pet." "Thank you, Master." Skinner played roughly with his pet's hair. "Why are you thanking me, Pet?" "For the privilege of wearing your marks on my body, Master," whispered his pet, voice revealing his despair. "And why am I marking you, Pet?" "Because I deserve the marks, Master. For what I did to all of you." Skinner was pleased with the words, thought he'd be even more pleased when his pet said them with real sincerity, because he truly believed them. As Skinner rose, his pet's body braced in anticipation of this privilege. Skinner looked at the thin cane in his hand. He had been practising his swing on a pillow in the living room. Following the instructions he had found, again on the Internet, he had covered the pillow with a dampened towel. A proper swing would leave a shallow imprint on the towel. Too strong, too deep an imprint would break the skin. No imprint meant the blow would not mark. And he wanted marks. Skinner took a stance and made the cane whistle in the air. It landed hard on his pet's shoulders. The information he had also gotten about soaking the cane before using it was proving to work well. He watched as a lovely red welt rose. Krycek didn't scream, but it took a moment for him to get enough breath into his lungs: "One, for you, Master" he gasped. "Thank you, Master." The second took a little longer. Nothing that displeased Skinner, yet. "Two, for Scully. Thank you, Master." The third produced a sharp cry that promised to improve in the next minutes and a near breathless, "Three, for Mulder. Thank you, Master." Skinner stooped to examine the welts that he had managed to rise fairly evenly distanced from each other. "Nice, Pet. These look very good on you. Now for your ass." And he rubbed his hand over the fleshy parts of his pet's buttocks, satisfied at the feel of muscles clenching under his touch. The fact that his pet barely cried out at the first of that series annoyed him. The next blow was harder, delivered with far more strength that he had used until then. This time his pet's scream was very pleasing. Less so was the blood that beaded up and dripped down. Damn, Skinner thought as he examined the broken skin: he wanted welts, not scars. Though he held back on the next blow, his pet screamed satisfactorily for that one. As he did for each of the ones his Master placed on his thighs. When he finished, Skinner carefully examined each of the welts, save the bloodied one, so that Krycek continued screaming in a way that more than satisfied Skinner. Krycek sobbed as his Master released him, placing him in position for the night, adding a blindfold as well. "I want you to spend the night in submission, Pet. I want you to take this pain within you and make it part of you. I'll release you in the morning." Skinner made an effort to get home early that night. He carried yet another of those purple bags that caused his pet's weary eyes to slip into fear. He placed it on the floor by the bathroom and led his pet through the usual evening routine. The toilet, feeding, watering. His pet, he later noticed, didn't seem to be very hungry. Apart from a mouthful of the chopped up bar, he lapped up only about half of the evening's ration of Boost. Skinner did insist that he drink more of the water, even going so far as to hold a glass to his mouth and wait until he had finished it. Over the course of the next hour, he insisted his pet drink another two glasses. After the second, he snapped a cock ring snugly, but not tightly, around his pet's cock. Then he placed his pet in position and left him while he went to eat his own supper. "Something new tonight, Pet." Skinner turned on the light in the bathroom and played in there, mostly out of his pet's sight. He doubted that Krycek could see more than the tub being carefully cleaned out with a strong smelling solution that made Skinner sneeze. When the preparations met with Skinner's approval, he led his pet into the bathroom, installed him in the tub as he would for his Saturday morning enema. He smiled as his Pet's eyes nervously tracked the room, noting the see-through plastic bag that held the sterile solution hanging from the shower head. "I like the fact that the enema cleans you properly, Pet, but that only deals with the intestinal tract." He washed his hands thoroughly and then snapped latex gloves on. He knelt by the tub, removed the cloth from the tray that sat on the closed toilet lid. He began by carefully cleaning his pet's swelling cock, paying special attention to the foreskin, pulling it back to swab around the fold. He even spent some time on the slit, opening it with some pressure from his fingers, also passing a swab in the tip. "There, nice and clean. Less chance of infection." His pet, he noticed, was growing gradually more anxious. He exchanged his gloves for fresh ones. With a smile at his Pet, Skinner removed a long sealed pack from the tray, snipped it open with scissors that had been boiled in sterilizing fluid. He was going to take no chances with his pet's health. Pain was one thing, illness was something else. While his pet watched with widening eyes, he generously lubed the long narrow tube that ended splitting into two smaller tubes. "Master?" "Quiet, Pet. You don't want to distract me. I've never done this before." Holding his pet's now stiffened cock by the head, Skinner pulled it up to his navel, the underside and its vein in plain sight. With the other hand, he inserted the tube into the piss slit and, gently rotated it so that it slipped carefully into the urethra. Once it was in a couple of inches, he removed the cock ring and continued inserting the catheter. His pet, he noticed, was watching him intently, holding very still. At one point, the tube hesitated in its descent when it encountered the bladder. With gentle insistence, it finally found its way inside his pet's bladder. Skinner finally stopped inserting the tube when it was in to the recommended length, about 13 inches. Once he was satisfied with its position, he inserted a syringe into the Luer valve and carefully injected 30 ml of sterile water down the tube and into the small balloon at the other end that would insure the tube was not coming out until Skinner wanted it to. "Uncomfortable?" Skinner sat back on his feet and watched his pet's face deal with the pressure in a bladder that probably needed emptying from the water he had had him ingest earlier in the evening. Krycek was breathing in the controlled manner he had when he was trying to accept some new pain. "Yes, Master." "It will grow much more uncomfortable as we go on." "Yes, Master. Thank you, Master." Skinner played with a valve on the tubing that descended from the bag attached to the non-Luer ending. As the sterile water filled the tubing, it went down the catheter and out the open end into the bladder. As more and more of the solution did so, Skinner was pleased to see the mound build between his pet's navel and pubic line. And to see his pet squirm in his restraints as it grew. But as more of the fluid entered, building up pressure, his pet was no longer accepting this quietly. He began moaning. "Don't dramatize, Pet. It won't get you anywhere." Skinner was keeping an eye on the level in the bag, noting that more than half the contents had already gone into his pet's bladder. Suddenly Krycek screamed, his body arching. Skinner snapped his head back, ready to scold but realized that his pet was not dramatizing. His head back, throat so taut as to barely permit his screams out, it was obvious that his pet was in excruciating pain. Damn! The site had warned of this happening. A possibility that Skinner hadn't really paid that much attention to, so pleased to have found another little game to play with his pet's body. Still, he hadn't been totally arrogant about the warning. He had prepared for any emergency. Quickly, he grabbed the scissors, cut the tubing so that the water in his pet's bladder could eject. He wanted to put his hand on the pelvic bulge and press down so that the water would be eliminated faster, but caught himself: the literature he had read had been very specific about not doing just that thing. As the urine-tinged water shot out of the tubing, his pet's screams lessened until he lay panting, gasping at the pain that was concentrated in the small of his back. Skinner hesitated, then placed his hand on his pet's head, gently stroked it. The warnings had been about fluid entering the kidneys. Not something he had wanted since that kind of damage was potentially dangerous, besides being excruciatingly painful. Hopefully, he had reacted quickly enough. "It's all right, Pet. It's almost over." He kept on with the calming touch. "We have to wait for your bladder to empty and then I'll take the catheter out." By the time he had used the syringe to retract the water from the balloon, taken the catheter out, Skinner was seriously angry with himself for trying something that could have proven damaging to his pet. He diapered his pet to catch the fluid still dripping out of his cock then led him to his mat. He would be more comfortable there than on the floor or in position. It was as close to an apology that he could come. Then, apart from the daily maintenance rituals, the small preparations for the day, such as adding weights to his pet's scrotum ring, reddening his ass, Skinner allowed his pet two days to recover. Chapter Siix—In Which There Is a Change Skinner slipped the enema nozzle up his pet's ass and released the cleansing solution. As it filled his pet's rectum, he took the time to examine the man lying in the tub, waiting for Skinner to turn him around so that more of the liquid could fill him up. Though his eyes were open as they were whenever his Master was by him, they had little life in them. No fear, no anger, no hatred. Nothing. And his eyes were sunk deep into almost purpled sockets. The high cheekbones stood out over the concave cheeks. His mouth was slightly open as he breathed in through his nose, out through his mouth as a method of controlling the discomfort in his body. Skinner dropped his gaze to examine the rest of his pet's body. The piercings seemed to have taken well. Apart from the nipples which were still slightly swollen because Skinner moved the rings through their holes so that the small wounds would not heal the rings in place, his body had accepted its decorations. Skinner passed his hand under his pet's thighs, caressing the marks he knew were there. There was no reaction apart from a slight tightening of his pet's lips. No, he thought, this was not good. He wanted his pet with some spirit. This one seemed to have nothing in him. And, come to think of it, he did have practically nothing in him. Skinner tried to remember the last time he had had to add more of the power bars to the food bowl... and couldn't. He was throwing out more and more of the Boost. The only thing that had remained constant was his refilling the water bottle every morning and evening. He took the time to really look at the long body spread out for his pleasure and realized that he could count his pet's ribs. That the pelvic bones stood out. No, this was anything but good. He slipped the nozzle out of his pet's ass, released him and settled him on the toilet to void. This was not the normal routine for a Saturday morning. Once, his pet would have looked at him with that delicious mixture of dread and wariness. Now, he barely raised his head. Skinner thought over the week's training and had to admit that he had allowed what was happening in the outside world to spill over into this one. Training had been harsh, as had punishments, because his days at headquarters were more and more fraught with frustration. He took the lead as his pet slipped to the floor in heel position and slowly, lethargically followed him into the room. Skinner stopped at the place he usually restrained his pet and did some thinking. He dropped the lead to the floor and went out of the room. When he came back some five minutes later, his pet was in position, not having moved. He should have been pleased, instead it worried him. He stooped, picked up the lead and took the few steps necessary to stand by his pet's mat. Krycek looked up enough to note where they were. Skinner crouched in front of him. "Open your mouth, Pet." Krycek's eyes meet his Master's and then dropped to the open hand in front of his face. There were three small white tablets lying on his Master's palm. For a moment, Skinner saw a flash of something in his pet's eyes, and then, as quickly, it was replaced by weary resignation. "Tylenol 3, Pet. That's all they are. Take them." And he held a glass of water up with his other hand. His pet made no move to take the pills. Finally, voice raspy, he explained, "If I take those, Master, they will put me to sleep." "Yes," Skinner kept his voice gentle, "I know. Open up, Pet." Skinner placed the three pills in his pet's mouth, held the glass to his lips. His pet drank deeply. Skinner caressed his pet's head. "Now, on your mat, stomach down." He used the longer chain at the neck so that his pet could turn his head. He released his pet's hand from the waist belt, added a short chain to the manacle and attached the other end to the first chain. His pet's ankles were secured to either side, again with longer lengths so that, though they were held, they were not confined to one position, in spite of the spreader that still separated his knees. Skinner looked at his pet's back, at his pet's lovely ass, at the nine marks of his ownership, and enjoyed the beauty spread out before him. He was going to have to take better care of his pet. Or he was going to lose him. Then, to his pet's stunned surprise, he gently covered him with a light cotton blanket. Looking over his shoulder, his pet's eyes were filled with an emotion that Skinner didn't care to identify. "Master?" Skinner slowly stroked the now trembling face of his pet. "Yes, Pet?" "Master. It's Saturday. You...you always train me on Saturday." "Yes, Pet?" "Please, Master, will there be punishment for this, Master?" Skinner was taken aback by the barely controlled terror on his pet's face and in his voice. "No, Pet!" he hurried to assure him, "No. No punishment. I told you before, this mat is for reward. You bore the week's training well. This is reward. Now close your eyes and go to sleep. If I want you, I'll wake you. But frankly, Pet, I have to deal with a briefcase overflowing with work, so all I want you to do now is sleep." He doubted that his pet was reassured, but Krycek did close his eyes and, within minutes, the drugs took over and he slipped into sleep. Skinner sat back on his heels. It looked as though he was not the only one who had had the week from hell. That his pet's was due to him was not something he considered other than in passing. His pet had to be trained and deserved punishment when he misbehaved. Still, it was up to him as Master to pace these sessions. His hellish week had been due to one CGB Spender. The man had fingers in more pots than could be imagined. He had friends in low places and in high ones and was calling on all of them to work out a deal for his release. Skinner had spent his week arguing against any such deal while his superiors, highly placed members of other departments countered that Spender knew where far too many bodies were buried. Till now, Skinner, aided by Mulder and Scully, by other members of his department, had managed to meet most of the countermeasures, but he had the suspicion that things were not going their way. And his feelings that anything they did was ineffectual only added to his frustrations. Fucking damn! thought Skinner, letting outrage threaten his control. Then, as he looked at the man who had borne the result of all of his anger, he forced those feelings down. It took more than a few moments. When he had himself well in hand, Skinner carefully tucked an end of the cover around the scarred stump, stood. He left the light on in the bathroom, something he never did, and went to tackle his bulging briefcase. Five hours later, he crouched by his pet's side, passing a mug of soup back and forth by his pet's nose. Heavy-lidded eyes forced themselves open. "Good, Pet. Open them wide. Wake up." Krycek looked at his Master, still stupid from the drugs. Then, as he remembered, Skinner watched a gamut of emotions play through those eyes, settling on a fearful unease. "You need something to eat, Pet. Raise your head." Skinner slipped a small cushion under his pet's face, covered it with a folded hand towel and, with a finger on his pet's jaw, directed him to lay his cheek on it, facing him. He filled a spoon with the fragrant broth and held it in front of his pet's mouth. "Open and swallow, Pet." The broth was thick with pureed chicken and vegetables. Skinner had figured that in this position, it would be hard for his pet to chew. As it was, some of the broth stained the towel, more from his clumsy attempts to feed his pet than his pet's to swallow. Skinner insisted his pet finish the mug, wiped his face clean with the towel. Then, to his pet's amazement, he had him swallow two more of the white pills along with a glass of water. "Master?" whispered his pet as Skinner reached the door. "Yes, Pet?" Krycek hesitated, then, "Thank you, Master." Skinner grunted, closed the door. "Master," again whispered, "I'm awake." Skinner looked down from the report he was reading. His pet had slept soundly through the afternoon, not even hearing him when he brought the armchair into the room so that he could keep an eye on his pet while he plowed through more of the reports that seemed to reproduce without his knowledge. Skinner dropped the report into the open briefcase that sat on the floor. He moved off the chair and crouched to examine his pet. With a slow caress, he smoothed the hair off his pet's face and was pleased to see that, though their gaze was wary, there was none of the blank terror that had resided in them earlier that day. He didn't mind a certain level of fear—it was only right that his pet fear him somewhat—but he hadn't liked the abject terror. "Time for the toilet, I think, Pet." When they were through, he was pleased to see his pet lap up another bowl of the thick broth. And even enjoyed his pet's surprise when, instead of positioning him on the floor, Skinner brought him back to his mat. "On your stomach again, Pet." This time, he didn't give his pet any meds, nor did he cover him. Instead, he reached for a purple bag. His pet showed his feelings for the bag when Skinner caught him visibly bracing himself. "Pet," he mock-scolded, "I told you, no training today. No punishment." He took a bottle of lotion out of the bag, uncapped it and passed the open bottle by his pet's nose. A citric- orangey smell. Skinner stood the bottle by the head of the mat, removed his shoes and then straddled his pet's body with his knees. Carefully, he placed his hands on his pet's head and gave him a moment to accustom himself to their presence before he began slowly massaging his scalp with his fingertips. "Pet?" "Yes, Master?" Krycek's voice held a hint of a wonder. "You know how, when I blindfold you, you take the pain into yourself?" His pet's body stiffened. "Yes, Master." There was only dumb acceptance in his voice now. "I want you to close your eyes and take this reward into yourself in the same manner. Is that understood?" "Yes, Master." But the slight question in his pet's voice meant that he really didn't. But he would, thought Skinner, as his hands continued easing the tension, the knots he found in his pet's tight muscles. He had finally admitted to himself that he enjoyed the touching ritual he had established for settling his pet down for the night on his mat. He liked the feel of his pet's skin, the slight movement of muscles under his touch as he played out the calming ritual. Except that he found it was leaving him less calm. That on rising, he often had to re-adjust his pants. At the beginning, his pet had not affected him in a sexual way, but that was changing. Now and then, he found himself wondering what it would be like to fuck the lovely ass that bore his marks. Of pushing through the now-loosened asshole, of coming deep in his pet's body. He knew what his pet's screams of pain sounded like and wondered what they would sound like if they were screams of completion instead. If he did indeed scream. Maybe he only grunted. If that were the case, thought Skinner, feeling himself warm at the idea, his pet would have to be trained to scream. Skinner realized he wanted to hear his pet's screams whether they were from pain or from pleasure. A pleasure, Skinner cocked his head, considering, that his pet would have to earn. Soon the room smelt of lemons and oranges. As he worked on one part of his pet's body, Skinner focused his attention on it. He hummed quietly to himself, a medley of tunes that went from bluegrass to jazz to opera. He was especially careful with the left stump, making certain that his hands were generously slick with lotion as he worked on the scarred skin. His conscience had no trouble with his treatment of other parts of his pet's body, but this one he had left untouched. It had suffered enough, though not enough to make up for all the things the rest of the body was responsible for. For Scully. For Mulder. For the many deaths this man was involved with. For the boy stolen from Russia, a pawn to be callously used for this man's purposes. For what had been done to him. Skinner held his hands still or he would have been tempted to turn the pressure his hands exerted into something painful. No. Not today. Between training and punishments, his pet had been pushed to the extreme this week. There would be other days for training, even for punishments as he did not expect his pet to do well all the time. He massaged the flesh that bore his marks and noted that they would have to be refreshed sooner than he thought. He would have to learn to hit harder without breaking his pet's skin. He slid down further so that he could work the lovely ass that bore his marks so well. He used his thumbs to separate the cheeks, rubbing his way up and down the crack, spending some time soothing his pet's hole. His pet's hips jerked a little. Skinner found himself smiling. He feather-stroked from the start of the crack down to just behind his pet's ringed balls. Soon he would work on separating those two lovely eggs in their pouch. He wanted his pet's balls to hang low and loose when he finally released them from confinement. He used his fingertips to tease the sensitive line again, to skim circles around the puckered asshole. And again got a restrained jerk. And noticed that his own cock was also responding to the view in front of him. Skinner sat back on his heels. He had kept his pet naked not only to remind him that his life was now in the hands of his Master, but also because looking at his pet's body had given him a sense of ownership. He loved seeing his rings gleaming in his pet's nipples, gold against the slightly swollen nubs that just called out to be pinched. And the sight of the series of rings stretching down his pet's balls built a small fire in the pit of his groin. One day, he would release the elongated flesh, enjoy the sight of his pet's balls hanging low, swaying as he moved in front of him. And his cock, a beautiful snake that Skinner longed to train to his beck and call. Without thinking about it, Skinner rubbed one of his hands over the bulge that was growing hard in his pants. He wondered if it might not be time to move his mastership into a new area? He loaded a finger with the lotion and slowly, cautiously penetrated the ringed muscle. His pet gasped, flinching. Too bad, thought Skinner as he quickly removed his finger, still too sore. Off the mat, it wouldn't have mattered, but here, he had promised his pet reward, not pain. He moved further down to concentrate on his pet's legs. When he was done, he unchained his pet's feet. "Turn over, Pet." Almost reluctantly, his pet obeyed. Skinner reconfined his pet's feet and looked up to see that his pet's body, in spite of his usual treatment of it, had responded somewhat to today's ministrations. Though not erect by a long shot, his pet's cock was certainly not flaccid either. Skinner filled his hands with lotion and moved so that he straddled his pet's chest. With an encouraging smile, he dotted the lotion over his pet's face and used his fingertips to smooth it in, using small circular motions. Eyes, barely open, watched him. He closed them with his thumbs as he massaged the temples with easy strokes. When he passed a finger back and forth along dry lips, his pet's mouth opened and the tip of a tongue met his finger, timidly daring to stroke it back. Skinner's cock reacted once more. Skinner felt an incredible rush: so his pet still had the courage to play, did he? Why? Did he think it would make his lot easier? Perhaps a little testing.... From that point on, Skinner's hands sent a different message to the body they were touching. Their touch soothed, but also aroused. Fingertips teased the sensitive skin of underarms, tugged gently at the tufts of hair. Stroked, barely skimming along the long rib cage, played around the ringed nipples. Skinner moved further down and was not that surprised to encounter something hard against his ass. He raised himself just enough to pass over the bulge, his ass, groin rubbing against it, making it even harder. He leaned over, capturing the hardening cock against him, lowered his mouth over one ringed nipple. His pet gasped loudly as Skinner played with the rings, using the tip of his tongue to flick the smaller one up and down, nipping at the tip with his teeth, taking the larger ring between his teeth and tugging, soothing the pain/pleasure with a hard suck before moving on to the other nipple. Krycek's chest raised, as if it needed to meet his mouth. Skinner played with that nipple until he got a choked-off cry from his pet. He raised his head. "Pet. I have insisted you let me hear your voice when I train you, when I punish you. Do I need to insist to hear your pleasure as well? You're not allowed to prevent me from hearing your cries, your screams no matter what they come from. Is this clear to you, Pet?" Krycek gasped, "Yes, Master." Skinner grinned. "Good," and bit on the tip of the second nipple, hard enough for his pet to cry out. Then he turned the cry to a gasp as he used his lips to ease the pain. His hands kept up their arousal as they worked their way down to his waist, raising tremors in their wake until they arrived at his pet's groin. And skipped over it. Krycek gasped "No!" then held his breath, eyes afraid. Skinner pretended he hadn't heard. This was not a 'no' that he intended to punish. With the heady sense of power over his pet's body, Skinner laughed aloud, slid off his pet's body to work on one leg then the other, all the while coming near but never touching the now erect cock. He spent some time on his pet's feet, especially when he realized how sensitive they were. When his touch elicited all sorts of gasping sobs which were not derived from pain. Skinner leaned over and removed the spreader used to keep his pet's knees apart. He knelt between his pet's legs, using his fingertips to tease the soft skin of his inner thighs, grinning as his pet's hips rose, begging to be touched. Skinner shimmied out of his sweat pants, reaching for the bottle of lotion. He didn't have a condom with him, but then his pet's ass was still too sore for penetration. And this was to be reward, for both of them. He stroked himself with one hand as he slipped the other under his pet's ass and rubbed his middle finger back and forth along his crack, appreciating the soft moans coming from his pet. Krycek choked off a scream as Skinner's hand came back to stroke his rampant cock, his thumb rubbing the foreskin completely back, then moving back and forth along the purpling head. His pet's hips rose, up and down, as he fucked himself in the loose/hard grip Skinner kept around his cock. Krycek came first, shooting over his body, with a shout as loud as any caused by training or punishment. Skinner milked him with a sure hand then, rising to his knees, grunted as he directed his own come over his pet's body. Skinner caught his breath, sighed his pleasure. When he could, he looked around the room and spied the towel he had used earlier to catch the spills when he had fed his pet. He stood, reached for it, cleaned himself off. He was going to use it to clean off his pet's body when he had another idea. He gave his pet the time he needed to recover from the orgasm he'd teased out of him. When his eyes finally opened, Skinner felt that he'd been hit in the gut at the erotic pleasure he saw in his pet's darkened green eyes. They were always beautiful, but never anything like this. "Master?" Skinner just smiled at him, passed his hand over his pet's body, mingling their come. He held up his hand to his pet's face. "Clean it off, Pet. Taste yourself mixed in with me." Krycek opened his mouth, slowly licked from the base of his Master's palm to the fingers. And again. "Yes, that's the way." Between licks, Skinner rubbed their come over his pet's body. "I want you to wear our come, Pet, until tomorrow. To remember that you belong to me in all ways. In training. In punishment. In reward." Skinner let his voice go husky. "Especially in sex." "Yes, Master." Cat-like, Krycek sleepily rubbed his face against the come-sticky palm of his Master's hand. Skinner smiled his approval. He wiped the last of it off into his pet's hair. "You will sleep now. Training continues tomorrow." "Yes, Master." Skinner stood, placed his briefcase on the chair, carried it out to the hall. "Master?" "Yes, Pet?" "Thank you, Master." Skinner paused at the door, warmed by the first sincerity he had heard in his pet's voice. He looked over his shoulder. "My pleasure, Pet." jmann@pobox.mondenet.com Best Served Cold II

Title: BEST SERVED COLD A story in ten chapters with an epilogue Author: NOIRCEUR Betas: Keir, Minou, DW Chong, Gaby Posted: Labour day Weekend, 2001 Fandom: X-Files Pairing: Skinner/Krycek Category: Torture/Master-Slave fic Rating: Very Strong NC-17 Warnings: See below. Please. Disclaimer: These characters belong to CC, Fox and 1013. I am not using them for any monetary purpose. DEDICATED to my four betas who pushed and prodded until they were satisfied with the final product. Well, as much as possible. Have you ever tried to satisfy four betas??? <g> A little background before you dig your teeth into this. Last November (2000), I was in correspondence with Keir who suddenly mentioned she would like to read a story that had more than a couple of kinks in it. In fact, she wanted a series of kinks. The deal was, she would find me the research sites and I would write. Interesting stuff you can find on the internet, eh? <VWG> Thus began BEST SERVED COLD. (My thanks to Gaby for use of the title.) As I was plotting it, I thought that it might be a little more challenging to see if I could do the story only from one POV: that of the Master (aka Skinner). Before I go further, let me just say that this Skinner barely has anything in common with the one who is canon, or even fanon. This is an AU setting. This is a Skinner who has been pushed to the extreme and who reacts in extreme ways. He is not a comfortable character. Not to write; certainly, I've been told, not to read. WARNING: This Skinner is NOT going to be popular. So if you are a Skinner fan, you might want to do both of us a favour and skip this story. Please. I am writing ViolentPsychotic!Skinner. That said, I wanted the story to contain only the Master's POV. Whatever we learn of the Pet (aka Krycek) in the story, we should get only from what Skinner sees, infers, hears. So, within the story, we do not ever get inside Krycek's head in any way, shape or form....Yes, I know, not the normal way of things but, as I said, this is an experiment. And experimentation, whether successful or not, should be at least attempted once in a while, just for the fun of it. The Epilogue was added after the fact in order to satisfy some of the questions that betas posed about Pet's behaviour and about the one-sidedness of the story. It probably doesn't answer all of them, but I hope enough. Now that you have been amply warned, if you do go ahead and read it, I wouldn't mind knowing what you thought about it. back to top

[Stories by Author] [Stories by Title] [Mailing List] [Gallery] [Links] [Resources] [Home]