DARKSIDE: The United States of Anarchy; "The Dark Palace."
[Version Control : Original.]
[Disclaimer: This text is intended for adult audiences, if you are not of age to view it, be somewhere else. This series of explores the darker aspects of the human experience, if that might offend you, then you were warned, and it isn't my problem. -- KTM]
Anything can happen in the Multiverse. Even a world that is much like ours, but which somehow... isn't. A world that is a magnet for the blackness in the dreams and souls of humankind. A world known as: The Darkside.
The World's economic system depends on a delicate interlocking system of mutual trust and financial debt. When those bonds shattered, the governments and monetary institutions crumbled. Even the most idealistic civil servants left their jobs when their families were gripped with hunger. The Survivors of the Chaos would come to call their nation the United States of Anarchy. Chapter 4. "The Dark Palace." -- by KTM. Early the next morning, Robert went out to the side porch, where the ten awaited him in a silent deathly slumber. He wished to gain their allegiance, and failing that, he had decided that he would simply kill them. "Awaken, Wolf," he ordered. The hairy groaned, and sat up. He stiffened when he saw the Dark standing there, dressed in black; jeans, shiny leather knee-boots, and a fine silk shirt. The only color to his apparel was a royal blue full length cloak and fat gold ring, set with sapphire pieces in the form of a four pointed star with concave arcs between the points on a smoothed oval surface. His belt buckle and a cloak clasp had an enameled copy of the same design: a blue star with four points, slightly over lapping a gold oval over a black rectangle. The big man's hands held a bare human skull, and the big black club he'd had the last time Wolf had seen him. "Now your leader matches his nick-name," Robert said, tossing him the bone. Wolf caught it, but quickly set it down. He got to his feet, on his guard. "Almost half of you are dead," the big said. "The rest of you will join them if you don't swear to serve and obey me." "Why should we?," Wolf said, seeing the too-quiet forms of his erstwhile fellows. "Because I'm going to need who can get things done," Robert said. "As long as you obey me, I'll tolerate you. You will all leave Maggie and Susan Black alone, as I have claimed them for myself." "You don't expect us go without fuckin', do you?" Wolf complained. "Hardly," Robert laughed. "My appetites are large, but I'm sure that there will be plenty of females available for the needs of my troops. You seem to be the highest ranked survivor of the gang. Do you think they will follow you in my service?" "Dunno. What makes you think that I'll listen to you," Wolf said to him with a surly tone. "Because I can give you Powers to match your name," Robert told him, and sent him an image of a feral wolf-man, snarling and baring long, sharp fangs. He jumped lightly from the ground to the top of a car, and jumped from there into the middle of a knot of angry men. With claws and teeth he inflicted a lot more damage to them, than their knives and metal pipes did to him. Wolf shook off the vision. "Yeah, right. And how you gonna do that?" he said. Robert tapped his chest. "Do you think I looked like this before I found the Rod? You'll be less powerful than I, as your master, but you will dominate the others. "And what if I just took your toy?" Wolf said, grinning. "Here," Robert said, and tossed it to Wolf, who caught it. "God Dammit!" Wolf cursed as the Rod's dark energy flare seared the skin of his palms. He threw it down, and it jumped of it's own accord into Robert's hand again. Robert told him, "It's become a part of me. No-one can use it until I'm dead, and it's made me Immortal. The World is stuck with me, but I don't really need you. Serve me or die, the choice is yours." "Ok, it's cool. You' the man," Wolf said. "You' the boss, but I am gonna need some serious stroke to be your lieutenant. Can you really do that man-wolf thing?" "See for yourself," the Dark said, and he threw black fire at the other man. Wolf screamed and it quickly turned into an agonized howl. Robert watched as his face stretched, and his legs curved back, destroying his shoes and ripping his clothes. His body sprouted a thick forest of fur, and he rapidly morphed into the form that Robert had tempted him with. It was soon finished, and the mutant rose, shaking off his pelt like a wet dog. He looked at his fur arms, and clawed hands, raising them to feel along his massive jaws. "Oh, cool," he growled, "I'm a werewolf!" Robert's hand shot out and grabbed him by the throat, lifting the big beast-man off the ground, and squeezed just hard enough that Wolf's windpipe started to close off. The creature flailed in his grip for a moment in panic, futilely scrabbling at Robert's arm and kicking in the air. Robert released him, and fell with a heavy thud. "I... I get your point," Wolf choked, coughing and clearing his throat. "Please lay off." "Just as long as you obey me," Robert said. "Now change back, and wake up the rest of them. Tell them that I will kill them if they don't work for me. If you let them get out of hand, I will kill *you*. Got me?" Robert waited on the front porch for them to make up their minds. he didn't think it would take long, not with those options, and not with Wolf's visible evidence to show them of their new master's power. One of them was stupider than most. He ran for it after Wolf changed forms, and tried to escape the backyard. He burst spectacularly into flames, turning into a human pire that spun about before collapsing into a smoldering heap of ashes. Wolf and the other eight came around the corner not too long after that. It had been an offer they were not allowed to refuse. Robert sat calmly on a big wooden chair. "You're all scum," he said. "But I need you, for now. I can't let you loose without supervision. If you were worth anything, you wouldn't have been molesting this family. So either you are my warriors, obeying my orders precisely, or you die. It's not a hard choice." Wolf bent his knee to Robert. This already knew his Master. The others reluctantly followed suit. "Good," the Dark said. "These badges have my symbol on them. While you wear them on my business, you have a certain immunity to bullets. You'll need it. I want you to go to every home and building in town, and inform the folks who live there that they are required to go to the Palace on the hill above Indian Cavern. What Palace? The one that will be there by the time you give the word to them. "You are not to use any force. You'll have a feeling about who hasn't been told, so you can cover everyone. What if they don't come? Not your problem. You are the messengers, and that is all." "Just tell them to go the Palace," Wolf said. "Not for who, or even why?" "That's right," Robert said, and sent them on their way. He didn't want to live here anymore. The good memories of the house, were more than outweighed by the horrible events of the last week. In a flash of black light, he disappeared, and materialized on the scrubby hill that rose slowly from the ranches at the edge of town to dominate the surrounding landscape. He made the rock flow and form into supports for the vast weight of the Palace he envisioned, but leaving most of the cave system intact. Once he had strengthened the hill, he poured a vision of every elegant edifice he'd ever seen, or which he now scanned throughout the world, into a dream of dark grandeur made real. He rose in the air and stood in a huge throne room of black basalt and obsidian. Different textures and shades of black were the backdrop of the room; jet, onyx and ebony. The throne itself was a massive slab of translucent blue stone with heavy gold trim. On the wall above it was a large banner with his symbol prominent. Filling most of the vast space between the great doors of the grand entry-way and the many stepped dais of the throne was inset into the floor a four-pointed star shape, inlaid with a gold border a foot thick. The room's high arcing dome sported a skylight star that matched the size and shape of the one below, but tilted by forty-five degrees. It was the shape you find in the center of a square filled with four circles, one in each corner. He walked to his throne, and sat awaiting his people. While he sat, he furnished areas of the Palace, starting with his quarters. He sent a thought to Maggie and Susan to gather their things, he had a new place for them to live, away from the memories of the house. Next he outfitted the kitchens and staff quarters, and the dungeons. To make their arrival easier, he created a broad, smooth road linking the edge of town with the Palace grounds. He also put signs in the Palace to make getting to the throne room from the Outer gates uncomplicated. Those who came had a hard time seeing where the hill was. The Palace flowed over it's sides like a dark cancer to the foot of the hill. Tall spires reached high into the sky above, and quiet caves still lurked beneath. It took over an hour, but about a third of the town's several thousands filed into the great room, feeling dwarfed by it's dimensions. The great doors closed, and Robert addressed them. "Thank you for coming, My name is Robert. I have appointed myself the authority of this town, on the basis that I am more qualified to run it than anyone else. My qualifications for the job are the ability to provide food, goods, and services the community needs, and the power to protect those assets from outsiders. "Many of you no longer have any means to support yourselves. I need people to work for me in all capacities. As cooks, accountants, and guards, just to start. I can pay generously in food, goods, and security for now. I'll pay in money later when I establish a new currency. "As far as I'm concerned, you either work, or you don't. Those who don't and have someone who works to support them are alright. Any minors who have no supporters I declare wards of the state, and I'll provide for them until their majority. Those who's jobs was to take care of them will be housed here along with them. "For those adults with no jobs or supporters, I am the employer of last resort. I will find you work, I will employ you myself, or I will sell your contracts for indentured servitude. One way or another, you will earn your keep." Robert smiled. "It's not you who came when called that I'm worried about. It's the rest of the town, which I'm now compelling to come whether they want to, or not. I believe those might be more troublesome. Are there any questions?" "Yeah," said a former county deputy. "Are you nuts?" "No," said Robert. "Next question?" No one else dared. The rest of town arrived and stood looking stupefied. Last came Robert's messengers, including Wolf, who carried the bleeding body of one of the eight. "Who shot him?" Robert said. A from the new group of townspeople raised his hand, apparently against his will. "Why?" Robert asked him. "The creep was trying to fondle my daughter," the said, "and said he was going to rape her. I swear I'd do it again." "Good man," Robert said. "You saved me the trouble. Those badges had no power to protect him when he started breaking my rules." He gestured, and all traces of the body disappeared. Wolf looked apprehensive, but Robert smiled at him, and he relaxed. "That's it?" the sheriff said. "A man's been murdered, and all you have to say is good is 'good riddance'? You're crazy." "No one can lie to me," Robert said. "I saw the truth in his mind and in his family's minds. The dead was part of a gang who'd already killed a townsman you were supposed to protect, and raped his family. He lived on my sufferance, like the rest of these men. He merited death simply by disobeying my orders while he was on a suspended sentence. I do not coddle criminals, and will not support them to do nothing. They will work while doing their time. And it's not as if you've been doing your job. "I'll get this town functioning again," Robert said. "But I'll be cutting out the deadwood to do it." He gestured towards the sheriff as he said this. "Those who simply want to go back to work, go home with your families. Supplies for your businesses will be here tomorrow, even if you don't work for money, you'll be paid in food and other necessaries. And for now that will have to do. Those who are hungry, will find food waiting for you in your homes, and Medical personnel will have supplies in the clinics. "Those who wish to see me for something else can stay, and I will deal with as many of you as I can." Most of the people left, with the orphans and their caregivers going to their new quarters in the Palace. Others stayed who wanted a job in the Palace right away. Robert invited them to find something to do in the kitchens or other areas, and he would get back to them tomorrow as to exactly which positions they were to fill. There were still several determined groups bent on giving him a piece of their minds. He called those who disagreed already with his policies to the foot of the dais. 'Lump it,' was the gist of the response from Robert; it wasn't a democracy. There were more who wanted to retain some special privilege, their political position, or to increase their wealth at his expense. 'No,' was his answer to them, he would make his own appointments, and his own decisions, though advice was welcome; when he asked for it. He sent them home to their comfortable homes, with a feeling of unease. That left those with no other means, or smarts, than to try to freeload off the Dark man. The he sent to some isolated quarters, then he smiled, and looked over the remaining women. Some of them looked on him as the town's most eligible bachelor. "I hope you realize," he said, "that I have no intention of marrying anyone, but I'll be happy to fuck any of you who simply must be had by me. My will also volunteer to service you." His eight remaining laughed harshly, and rubbed their crotches suggestively. Several women who were offended at his crudeness left in a huff. Good, he thought. Soon only the hopeless users will be left. A beautiful and busty red-head sauntered up to the dais, and walked up the steps to the throne. He stopped her with a glance before she reached him. Her name was Traci, and she was known throughout the town as a social climber, and a first class slut. "Oh, come on, honey," she purred at him. You don't need anyone else but me. Send them away, and I know I can make you very happy." "On the contrary," he said, grinning, "I intend to have a large harem, and if you persist in this, you will be appointing yourself as a member." She gave him a 'be serious' look. He shook his head, he'd given her enough chances. "Come here to my feet, woman, you belong to me now." His power urged her forward and now Traci tried to resist him. She never wanted to be the property of any man, but she found herself kneeling at his feet despite her efforts. "What do the rest of you want?" he asked. "Answer me truthfully. Do you wish to be free of both want and work?" The general consensus of their answers was that his 'work or be made to work' decree was far too harsh. Here, a woman had married to a rich man, and now divorced, she had lived on alimony now absent. She'd never had to work before, nor ever wanted to, so how would she live? There, an heiress's money came from the rentals of property she'd inherited, and not from any effort on her part. How could he make them work, when they'd never had to before? "It's a fucked up world, ladies, and you're going to have to face facts," Robert said. "Those resources are simply no longer available. If you will not leave now, to try to find useful work, you will be made to be useful to my men!" Two women tried to leave, but Robert shook his head. "You," he said pointing at younger woman. "You're not serious about working, you're just trying to get out of this." He pointed at the other one, "You can go. But the first one stays, to join in the party." He waited until the woman was gone. "Ok, Wolf, you and the can have them. They're good for nothing else, and they will serve your needs. But don't them, got it?" "Aye, and thanks, sir," Wolf said. "Let's get some, boys." On the dais, Robert stood and opened up his button fly jeans. He reached for Traci's head and pulled her mouth to his cock, which quickly became hard as she bent to suck it. Robert's warriors closed in on the remaining women, in order to throw them down to be fucked. The heiress cried out to him, "How can you let them do this to us?" "Because it's all you know how to do," he said. "I gave you a chance to be useful, but all you wanted was to be the users. Now instead you'll be used." Robert stopped talking, she wasn't listening anymore. Wolf had her on hands and knees, with her expensive skirt thrown over her back and her silk torn off. He was clutching her hard and pumping her hard with his doggish cock. She was grunting almost as bestially as Wolf at the treatment she was getting. The Dark stroked Traci's head at his crotch. The divorced woman was one of two who were being made to french around the prick of a big man, who was giving them no choice but to do so. These were hardened, violent men, used to getting exactly what they wanted. The women were rich and pampered, unable to offer any effective physical resistance to them. The room began to pulsate with Robert's lust. Traci was pulling off her clothes at his unspoken urging while he fucked her mouth with his cock. He stood, making his clothes vanish, and created large golden cushions at the foot of the throne, on top of the dais, and pulling her to him. Robert pushed the town harlot down on the cushions, and kneeled between her legs, looming over her, at first just looking at her, and letting her look at him. He was a big man, just how huge she hadn't realized until this moment. His hard body, wide shoulders and broad chest were everything she always wanted in a man, but had never had. His chest had a swirl of fine black hairs that plunged in a steep dive to the thatch of coarser curls at the base of his cock. Under his head of dark hair, his matching brows were bushy and wide. His face was clean shaven, his features well formed, but his black eyes pierced her soul. She had firm round tits, a narrow waist, and nice broad hips. Her trimmed proved she'd come by the naturally. Robert had always thought so, and that if she were likely to take her hair color out of a bottle, she'd be a blonde. She had the flawless skin and classic heartshaped face of her celtic blood, but there was no warmth in her blue eyes, and the lines besides her wide mouth were caused by bitterness, instead of smiles. She was the perfect trophy woman, always throwing herself at the most influential around, but this had her measure. "I'm going to keep you," he said as he rubbed his cock on her lips. "You'll join the others in my harem, and have my babies, just the same as they." "You can't just use me like that," she said, struggling with him. She hadn't worked so hard to be the woman of a with power, just to be 'kept' by this and have nothing to show for it; no status, and no power of her own. "Sure I can, 'honey'," he purred back at her. "I'm boss around here, and what I say goes." As he spoke he slipped inside of her. Even Traci's blase attitude about sex was shaken up by that piece of meat. Long ago she'd trained herself to use sex only as a tool, since it did nothing for her anyway. She wouldn't really let it get to her, but to make her partner think she had never had a better time. She wasn't sure she could keep up her reserve with this man. "Ah," he said. "Whoring around has had it's effects on you. You've had two abortions, and no births. But you do like cats." "Bastard!" she hissed. "How did you...? I never told... I went out of state!" "I know everything," he said. "Like how much you like roses." From above her head he pulled a perfect blood-red rose bud, and stroked her cheek, lips and throat with it, while he looked deep in her eyes. Unspoken in his eyes, a smile was shown there. She'd never been so filled, not even when her Uncle Bob had forced himself upon her when she was ten. For most of her life, men had used her, so she'd decided that to get even, she would use them instead. Before Robert, she'd hadn't met a straight she couldn't wrap around her finger at will. Somehow she'd always picked the wrong man. The ones, the ones, the users... Robert slowed down, each stroke distinct so she could feel every one. She focused on the feel of his cock deep in her pussy, and as she did so, he started to gradually increase his tempo. A power burned in her. He'd found some vaginal scarring and other things that would reduce her responses, and he set to fixing them. Deep in her cunt, his slowly speeding strokes were beginning to cause a tingling feeling. She'd felt it before, once in a while, but never anything more. She gritted her teeth. Usually at this point she began faking orgasms, but she wouldn't give this the satisfaction. The tingling grew stronger, becoming almost a burning. She writhed, trying to escape the unaccustomed heat in her groin. But Robert was relentless in his fucking. He held her tight and sped up even more. Then he would back off and go slow for a bit. The tingle began to cause little twitches in her walls, something she couldn't remember ever feeling before. The Dark smiled at her again, because she was closer than she knew. He'd sensitized her clit when he healed her, and she was primed for one rip-raring orgasm. Her pulsed inside, she Robert suddenly started slamming her hard. He was pounding her without pity, when it started. A buzzing flare that seemed to light up her nervous system, ignited somewhere near the tips of her toes, flashing up to the crown of her head, and zig-zagging between the two points several times, setting off little wildfires of ecstasy at several parts of her body along the way. "Unnnhhh!" she groaned unconsciously, as her back arched in racking spasms, again and again. Robert rode through it, laughing in triumph at defeating her control, and bringing her to pleasure. She stared up at him in shock, her eyes glazed, at first unable to process the feelings she'd experienced. She lay there shuddering, wondering how to take what had just happened to her. Robert stroked her with the rose again, over her this time, and kissing her face. "I'm going to make you my little kitten, Traci," he said. He leaned back a bit, and said, mostly to himself, "You even played a part in a production of 'Cats' in college... and your latencies work well for that idea..." Before she had a chance to wonder what kind of madness he was talking, he blurred her and bent to altering her body. Incredible agility and great strength were among her genetic potentials that he tapped, as well as making her body even more sensitive to pleasure. All of her senses were enhanced, as well as her sense of spatial relationships and balance, and her instinct for danger and curiosity. When he let her come aware again, something was different. She was purring. Really purring. Like a cat, deep in the throat, and vibrating her whole chest. In part she had the form of a cat, and as much of the abilities of a as he could pack in that delectable body. She could feel a light coat of fur on her body with her clawed hands, and her tongue traced the sharp fangs now in her mouth. A tail she'd hadn't had before lashed as she snarled at him. "What have you done to me?" she demanded. "Given you what you've always wanted," he said in her ear. "The way you are now, you can defend yourself from anyone who wants to abuse you, even from Wolf. Ever seen a take out a before? Cat's can do more damage. As long as I am your master, and the only of your children, you can keep that body. I don't even care about other lovers, as long as we are clear on that." He held her slitted blue eyes until she nodded her understanding. "I won't have time to direct everything that goes on in the Palace," he continued, "or greet everyone who comes to see me. I'll need ambitious and diplomatic people to do some of these things for me. Do I take it that you volunteer for this sort of thing?" She looked back into his dark eyes for a long time. Was he pulling her leg, tempting her with gifts and responsibility that he didn't intend her to have? Teasing her with her heart's desire, only to disappoint her, as she had been disappointed so many times before? With those questions unspoken by her, he shook his head, and she could not doubt that he meant his answer. She would have what she had wanted, she had just never foreseen it happening quite this way. With a growl she pulled him close, and kissed him hard, biting his lips. She'd always been willing to be owned, but only if she got some of the power in return. This strong and sexy body seemed to be a good trade for having only one master. The two of them began to fuck again, while Robert's inaugural orgy continued on around them, unabated. To be Continued...
May, 1997 -- Darkside: United States of Anarchy, Part 4 of 20. Series Continues afer #20 in Darkside: Imperial States of America. Archived @ "ftp://ftp.asstr.org/pub/Authors/World_of_the_Darkside"; Or www.asstr.org/~World_of_the_Darkside & www.greyarchive.com.
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