Chapter 3
Dreamer's dream
4 long months passed since Bucky's first conversation with Dreamer. Days and nights were the same; work, eat, sleep and toilet.
The smell of sweat and oil and God only knows what else had long since stopped having any effect on Bucky's nose. He was so tired most nights that he fell asleep as fast as the other men.
Bucky and Dreamer could only spare scant moments to talk in the cell after supper. There was no talking on the work lines. Bucky found out the hard way when he got caught and suffered the consequences.
The guards carried flexible sticks that reminded Bucky of the whips jockeys used on racehorses. He caught hell for talking and was beaten with one. He curled into a ball to protect his head and more tender areas. After that, he didn't try talking.
When he did talk to Dreamer after that, he spoke in quiet tones. Bucky didn't want any more trouble.
One morning however, routine came to an abrupt stop. No guards came to bang on the bars to awaken them, so they slowly woke up one by one. It was actually pretty quiet, too quiet. The usual noises were absent. Soft murmuring spread among the men. Bucky wondered what was going on.
Some guards finally came and chained them up like always, marched them to the holes to do their business, but instead of going to the work floor, they were ushered down a long hall.
Bucky peered down the line. Other chained sections of men were ahead of them, but he couldn't see why.
After slowly shuffling forwards for two hours, Bucky discovered the reason. They were being washed and scrubbed clean. Dreamer suddenly got all smiles and turned his face to Bucky. Bucky couldn't ask any questions because the guards kept slowly herding them forwards.
Finally, it was their turn.
It was not a pleasant experience.
Long handled brushes were used to scrub their skin practically raw, the water wasn't particularly warm, and the careless attitudes of the scrubbers made it all the less enjoyable.
Bucky got the hose turned on him and the harsh soap rinsed away down into the drains.
"Move along, move along."
Bucky's skin was pink from the experience, and his scalp tingled. His hair had grown shaggy and on his face was 4 months growth of beard. All the men looked alike by now.
The next stop along their journey was to get their beards shaved off and hair trimmed a little.
Finally, Bucky couldn't stand it anymore. He risked whispering to Dreamer. "What's going on?"
"Buyers are coming." He whispered back.
Sure enough, the men were lined up and tagged. The slavers on the ship were always on the lookout for trade and sales. They got rid of lazier or older stock for fresh blood. Sometimes buyers came aboard for specific reasons; some bought individuals, some were looking for hard-working stock, and some just bought lots for resale when their own supplies got low.
There were far more men than Bucky realized, rows of them, and that made the waiting all the longer. His legs ached and he shifted his weight restlessly.
When some buyers rounded the line in front of them to look them over, Dreamer tried to look healthy and alert. He tapped Bucky's fingers to do the same.
Bucky stood straight and looked forward, just like he'd been trained to in the Army. He'd do whatever it took to get out of here.
The buyers looked him over and kept going down the line. More buyers inspected the stock. Nobody seemed impressed. Some made notations of the stock numbers they were interested in and moved on.
Bucky risked looking at the device one of the buyers held and tapped on. He had no clue what it was.
The next buyer stopped at Dreamer, tapped his device, and nodded, tapped some more, and moved on.
A couple more buyers passed by and another stopped in front of Bucky and checked him out. In spite of being naked for months, Bucky felt his ears begin to burn in humiliation. The blush tinted his cheeks, but he didn't move. The buyer tapped on his device, and moved on.
When the buyers petered out, the bids were collated and put up on their hand-held screens. Buyers could see who they had bid on, if there were other bids and how much, and how long they had to counter-offer.
When the bidding closed, those sold were collected. Bucky watched carefully as men were removed from the chain lines and escorted off.
Dreamer was unhooked and led away. He turned briefly to smile at Bucky before he disappeared from view. Bucky smiled back. Good luck pal.
Someone came to unhook Bucky, and he was collared and shackled before being led away.
Bucky looked around, and hoped he'd catch one last glimpse of Dreamer, but there were so many milling about that Dreamer was just another face in the crowd now.
He didn't resist, he just walked wherever they wanted him to go. He certainly didn't want to go back to the work lines.
He was attached to another line of men, presumably all bought by the same buyer. By the looks of the men, they all seemed to be about Bucky's age.
No one was hooked up behind him; he was the last one.
The buyer that had taken so much interest in inspecting him, the one that made his ears redden, came along after having paid the fees and ushered them along.
He or she didn't look human. In fact, Bucky couldn't tell what gender he/she/it was. Using the only comparison he knew, humans, it didn't look male or female.
The line moved and they boarded the new ship. Behind him, Bucky heard the sound of the door clang shut. He twisted about to see workers closing up the second doorway, and tidy up.
The men were led to a communal cell to wait. The first man was detached and taken away, the rest were shuffled in.
They all found places to sit on the floor and wonder what was going to happen next. Guards soon came along and one by one all the prisoners were removed. When Bucky's turn came he was half curious and half apprehensive.
He was given a much better cleaning up, looked over by an actual doctor, and given some clothes. The doctor hooked a bracelet around Bucky's left wrist that had some kind of writing on it. Bucky couldn't read what it said, but he assumed it was something similar to the Army dog tags. He was then led to a two man cell with bunk beds. The bottom was already claimed, so Bucky took the top.
They were later ushered out to an actual dining room with tables and chairs and dinner wasn't stew. Bucky waited in line and food was put onto the tray he carried. He went to find a seat. The dining room was only half full so finding a seat wasn't that hard. Conversation was more difficult.
Everyone ate their food and minded their own business. They were used to not talking; even Bucky had his reservations.
As supper wound down, one of the guards escorted an individual to the front of the room, where he/she addressed the group.
"Welcome, welcome. You are all now the property of the LD Corporation. You will be groomed over the next four weeks before being sold. You were all hand selected based on criteria gleaned from prospective customers. Make no mistake however; bad behavior will result in punishment, up to and including being sent to some very unpleasant places. I'm sure none of you would like to spend the rest of your lives in the underground mines. Good behavior will result in better food, better accommodations, better clothing, and of course a better life for you. We will match you up with those that you are best suited to. And now, you are all going to begin your new lives."
Bucky had no idea what that all meant, but he was determined to find a way home from wherever he wound up. He didn't know how, but he'd find a way.
The next day after breakfast they were all brought down to a gym. There was an obstacle course set up and the men were expected to run it. Bucky already had training of this nature, and thought it would be a piece of cake. He couldn't have been more wrong.
The first guy in line was hesitant.
"You can run the course or be punished."
"I'll go." The second guy in line said.
He started off pretty good. He got over the rope wall fine. He ducked under the wire bed successfully. Then he crawled into a tunnel and left the view of the spectators.
Bucky trained his gaze on the exit and frowned when he didn't emerge right away. What's taking him so long?
When the guy came out and tried to stand up, he fell over. He couldn't complete the course and was helped back to the group.
The guy in charge clearly was not happy, and he made the first guy go. He came out of the tunnel the same way.
Bucky was pointed to and brought to the forefront.
He charged up the rope wall, got under the wires fine, but he hesitated at the tunnel. Bracing himself, he crawled in.
Everything was fine until the middle section. The tunnel started to rotate. Bucky fell over. It was like rolling downhill. After a few rotations, Bucky righted himself and crawled out of the tunnel. He was only a little dizzy, but he managed to get to his feet to complete the course.
A couple of the others managed to get through on their first tries. It wasn't wildly popular with those gathered.
They spent time running laps on the track, swimming in the large pool, and working out with weights. They were treated fairly well so far.
Bucky got on with his cellmate well enough, but he didn't talk too much. So Bucky had very little else to do in his cell except lie in his bunk and wonder what going to happen.
Bucky wondered about Dreamer. Did he get what he had hoped for? He had no way of knowing.
The men were lined up after lunch, and were told they would begin the next part of their training. One of the he/she/it creatures entered the room followed by a leashed human male.
A demonstration was presented. The trainer expected all those present to learn and obey commands.
Some soft murmuring erupted, but quickly died down when the trainer snapped a whip-stick. "You all will learn and obey."
The trainer made his point and put the "pet" through his paces; sit, (in a chair), up, stay, come, stop. Bucky felt like a dog. A small snicker escaped from him.
"You think this is funny?" The trainer rounded on him.
Bucky's grin faded quickly. "No sir."
The trainer nodded to the guards and they pushed Bucky forward. "Hey!" He cried.
The guards pushed again. Bucky didn't like this and he resisted…until he got thwacked with the stick.
He turned from the guards to the trainer. With his attention divided, Bucky was seized by the guards and held in place. He resisted them, and struggled to free himself.
"You will learn." The trainer threatened him. "Or else."
Bucky couldn't help the resentment he felt. He was not a dog and to pretend to be offended him. He was not going to prance around for someone for their pleasure.
"There's always one in every batch."
Bucky was pushed to his knees and the trainer started hitting him on the back with the stick. It stung sharply, and Bucky grimaced with every strike.
After he had endured several, the trainer stopped in mid-air. Bucky, braced for the hit that never came, frowned in confusion. Is it over? He wondered.
"Get him up."
They held him while the trainer fastened a collar around Bucky's neck and snapped a leash onto the collar ring.
"You will demonstrate for the rest of the men." The leash tugged Bucky forward. "Come."
But Bucky only glared back.
"I said come." Bucky's head jerked forward as the leash was yanked, but he balked again.
"Which one is his cell mate? Bring him here."
Bucky's cell mate was pushed over to stand in front of the trainer.
"You think you can do a better job?" The trainer asked him. Before he could answer, the trainer asked for another collar and leash.
They were affixed the same as Bucky's. Then he was told to "come".
He looked uncertainly at Bucky, then at the trainer. The leash was yanked forward and the unfortunate victim stumbled forward with the tug.
"I see." The trainer said. Then without warning, he spun and smacked Bucky with the stick. Unprepared, Bucky tottered backwards.
"Every time either of you fail to obey; the other will be punished for it. Do you understand?"
The cell mate looked scared as his eyes met Bucky's.
The trainer tugged on Bucky's leash. "Come."
Bucky pressed his lips together, thinking it over, but he took too long and the cell mate got a thwack. A yelp rang out.
"Don't punish him for my behavior." Bucky said.
"Then behave. That's all there is to it."
Bucky's eyes glared in anger. He was breathing rapidly. Every nerve was on fire. Finally, Bucky closed his eyes and swallowed some of his pride.
His eyes snapped open when he felt the leash tug him forward. He took a few steps, just enough, he hoped, to satisfy the trainer.
He made Bucky sit, stand up, and stay.
The trainer tied the end of the leash to a specially designed bar and made Bucky stand there while the trainer taught the rest of the group what they were expected to do. The first time Bucky shifted, he got a whack across his butt. The second time his cell mate got a whack.
He made Bucky stand for an hour.
Then the trainer started from the beginning, making the men go through it all again, for another hour.
Bucky started to tremble after the second hour had passed. He got a whack across the back of his thighs.
The trainer made all the men sit down on the floor. And the trainer stood behind Bucky. And he watched the clock.
By the time they reached the third hour, Bucky had to pee. He asked to go to the bathroom.
"No."
Bucky shifted uncomfortably and got smacked.
The sweat started dripping down his forehead. He went to wipe it away, and he got hit again. "The next time you move, your cell mate will get it."
Bucky closed his eyes against the sweat. He felt his bladder hurting. "I can't hold it."
"Ten more minutes."
Those ten minutes felt like an eternity in hell, but he was finally allowed to use the rest room.
He/she/it made Bucky go through all the commands again...twice. Bucky swallowed the rest of his pride and obeyed the commands, just enough so his cell mate didn't get punished for his resistance. That wasn't right.
The trainer seemed pleased now, and Bucky rejoined the group.
Once more through the entire program and then they were all dismissed to the showers.
Later that evening, once they were returned to their cells, Bucky's cell mate caught Bucky's wrist.
"Thank you." He whispered.
"You're welcome."
As Bucky lay in bed, he decided he needed to be more discerning in the future. Let them think they were controlling him. Escape would not be possible if he was beat up, and getting his fellow detainees beaten would not win him any points.
He drifted off to sleep shortly after the lights dimmed.