Nimda

Authors Note: Hey, sorry about the delay again. Chapters may be slowing down as finals approach. I've been kinda tired and juggling real life, job searching and school so finding time to just write is rather tough. I just can't wait to write more, though! I can see where it's going and I want you guys to get there with me.

Serria, vspirit, Some Person & Kags21: Hey thanks for showing your support. I hope the rest of the story meets your expectations :)

Antaris: I'd say that Jacob lets his cruelty rule is intelligence though he's certainly not as book smart as Alex. We'll find out more about him as chapters progress. Thanks for reading!

Jeazard: Well, heavens! Thank you for the long and well thought out review! I'm so glad you're taking an interest in the world and it's mechanics. Don't worry. All will be slowly revealed. I'm trying to play this through Alex's point of view, leaving the reader just as confused as he is. Also, thanks for the heads up on the detachment thing. I'll keep an eye out for it.

Oh and yes, Alex is a rather silly young man. “Oh if only I had been poor and stupid.” Hon, trust me, it would have sucked either way. I like the idea of someone being highly educated, yet lacking in common sense and survival instinct. He's just a slow starter.

As for the title, it is 'admin' backwards but I named it after the virus 'nimda' which struck just after 9/11 and is considered one of the most damaging viruses to be released on the net. All of the chapter titles have something to do with viruses, hacking or computers as well.

Warning: Graphic Non-con up ahead. I don't write rape sexily.


Chapter 5: Bit Bucket

Fight smart. That's what his father had told him. That's what he had chosen to do. So why did he still falter? Alex shook his head, trying to still the trembling in his hands as Jacob towered over him, a frightening smile giving away far too much. “You're looking much better.” The blonde let his eyes travel slowly up and down, surveying with a frightening gaze. Alex wondered if it was real or just intimidation. With a man like Jacob, it was impossible to tell.

He let his hands hang at his sides, now realizing that he was unsure of what fighting smart truly meant. Did he submit? That couldn't be it. He shook his head again. That's stupid.

Jacob ignored the internal conflict. “Bend over the edge of the bed.”

Alex almost didn't hear the command though when it registered he felt his stomach turn. “What?”

The blonde sighed. “I don't want to have to beat you again.” A pause. “Or, maybe this time I'll take you down to the basement and string you up for a while?” There was a sickening delight in his voice a suggestion.

The young man lowered his eyes and shook his head.

“Then do as I say.”

Alex hesitated, flexing his hands nervously, biting his lip as thoughts swarmed around his head like angry bees. He was at war with himself and he knew that it was written all over his face. Jacob seemed to eye him, waiting for his answer, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He felt eyes staring down at him, waiting for a move, deciding if obeying was giving in—wondering what it even meant to give in. The pause grew uncomfortably long, and he sensed Jacob's patience waning, fear and panic rising in him.

Finally, he relaxed, rolled his shoulders back, and looked Jacob dead in the eye, his expression determined, before slowly walking to the bed and obeying the order.

Alex felt his blood pounding in his ears, his hands shaking as he was unable to still the thoughts, screams and confusion in his head. He had figured, in that moment he had been allowed to decide, that fighting smart meant manipulation. What better way to manipulate the man than to get him to trust him?

He heard Jacob chuckle. “Very good. You can be stupid but you're also a fast learner.”

The young man gripped the sheets, twisting them in panic. Could he do it? Did he have the guts to manipulate someone like Jacob? He took in a sharp breath when Jacob leaned over him, a large hand gripping his shoulder and pushing him into the bed. Alex couldn't stop himself from reaching back and trying to stop the man from pulling his briefs down. It was simply reflex, but it earned him smack on the hand. He could feel his heart thudding desperately, so loud that all other sounds were drowned out. Alex wished he weren't so aware, so intimately in tune with every sensation of the act. How nice it would have been to be removed, to be able to separate himself.

He felt his stomach turn when Jacob made a spitting noise, his mind immediately understanding the implications. First, disgusting and then He can't honestly mean to use only that?! Jacob's legs pinned his against the bed, as the man shuffled a bit, his hand digging into Alex's shoulder for leverage.

It happened all at once. Jacob slammed into him with a grunt and then his other hand was on his shoulder, holding him in place. That was probably wise, as Alex was using his own hands to dig into the comforter, willing it to tear to pieces. He couldn't even curse at the pain, as his mind was unable to form even the simplest of words. It was just that. Pain. Pain. Pain. Hurt. Hurt. Hurt. And then, stop please, for the love of God stop. At first, the young man didn't even make any noise, his mouth wide open, air stuck in his throat. Then, he could breath, but it came in segments and burned as he choked on his own voice. Jacob didn't seem to notice any of this at all, and kept moving, each thrust like a stabbing pain.

Eventually, Alex felt it start to dull, his own body adjusting out of desperation. Now, he could breath a little more regularly and he only choked or sobbed every so often rather than every few seconds. There was so much sweat and blood everywhere and it was all so dirty and horrifyingly intimate and disgusting that he could hardly stand it. He just wanted the man to finish, to call him a bitch and leave him alone but he kept going, maintaining the same pace. Alex closed his eyes, trying to shut it all out, to create a fantasy world where he could escape, but everything was so acute—so real. He was aware of every sound, every feeling, even the smell of sweat and blood in the room.

He screamed into the sheets when the pain was renewed for a moment as Jacob adjusted his grip, using the leverage to thrust hard several times before finally stopping and sighing. Then, it was over just as fast as it had began. It felt like an eternity contained within seconds—fast, slow and every moment in between. Alex couldn't help but vividly replay every moment in his mind as he heard Jacob fix himself and leave.

The young man found himself in the bathroom some time later, though he couldn't quite recall how or when he'd gotten there. He was running a bath, the occasional choked sob, causing a unique and unwelcome pain to shoot through him. Alex stripped, hissing as the warm water accentuated every nerve before finally feeling the relaxing warmth of it. He sat, his head in his knees, wanting to cry like a baby, to feel a rush of emotions that assured him he was still a human and not a worthless pile of trash meant to be used and discarded.

No tears came.

///

“I'm leaving for the day. Just FYI, the perimeter is set up so that as soon as you walk outside a twenty foot radius surrounding my home, the authorities will be contacted. There's a chip inside you the size of a grain of rice letting them know where you are.” Jacob said all this while adjusting a tie, acting as though he were explaining how to care for his house while he was gone on a trip. Alex was on the floor, his back to the bed. “I would hate to have to punish you for running away.”

He hated how Jacob's voice only held emotion when he mentioned hurting him.

The blonde hand finished getting ready and turned, his face blank, save the barely noticeable smirk. “I don't give a shit what you do while I'm gone, just be ready for me when I get back.”

Alex looked up cautiously, watching as he left, seemingly full of confidence. He wondered what the man's weaknesses were—what things would screw into his brain and drive him crazy. He couldn't make too many assumptions except that Jacob, while enjoying when Alex screwed up, hated being embarrassed. He could assume that the man also disliked a lack of order or control, but aside from that, there was little to go off of. When he felt that he was now truly alone, the young man stood and began to wander the house, searching for a particular room.

He took the time to notice the decorations on the walls—a few paintings or pictures of landscape, some nice colors and lovely furniture. It was all so designed, like someone had pulled it from a catalogue. Alex didn't doubt, now that he got a good look at everything, that Jacob had no hand in the furnishing of his house. Strange. Alex wondered to himself why a wealthy man didn't know how to decorate his own house. Having grown up with wealth, Alex could see there were no personal touches and quite a few amenities were plain missing. There were also bits of technology, like a freshly installed call system, that he had never seen the blonde use. Now that he thought about it Jacob made all of his calls manually, on a personal communicator. Was he paranoid or a technophobe? Was it something else, entirely?

Alex continued to wander, noticing the same thing in each guest room and, to his surprise, a few random, empty rooms that served no purpose. Jacob had no sun room or conservatory to speak of, and the further back into the house he traveled, the lighter the furnishings became and the disuse was quite apparent. Eventually, he found what he was looking for: a computer room. The system was what he would have considered archaic, though it was only a few years old. Still, it had a manual keyboard and digitized screen, something he hadn't actually seen since high school. Alex sat at the chair, and stared, examining the system, mesmerized by the outdated tech, wishing he could take the thing apart and examine it further. “Now is not the time...” he muttered to himself as he stretched. “Computer on.”

Nothing happened.

Alex sighed, biting his lip. Just how much of the Smart Life was even on? “Computer? Guest wants to access PC.” Still nothing. Just as well. At least I won't have to erase the recent data on the memory. Alex looked around, searching for a button of some kind, not used to having to do so. It wasn't until a few minutes later, and some crawling around under the desk, that he realized it was on the keyboard itself. Feeling stupid, he pressed it and was greeted with a login screen.

“Aw shit...I haven't had to hack an admin screen in ages.” He recalled Kurt telling him to not let technology get the better of his knowledge; something like “Always know how to work every piece of tech within twenty years”. He would know how to do this. He would be able to to in minutes. Alex knew it wasn't hard, but he could only remember certain steps out of order. The young man banged his head on the keyboard only looking up when he heard the familiar error noise. Then it hit him all at once.

“Of course, you idiot. Open the command promt. Jesus Christ.” Shaking his head, he typed in the command, and after a few tries and brain rattling, remembered the exact code. It was just so much easier to hack devices on the wire. Digital meant commands and codes and he was terrible at those.

“That's right, computer, I'm the administrator, now let me in. Yes, computer, I 'forgot' my password.” He was greeted with a screen littered in icons, many of them downloaded from emails and scattered haphazardly. Curious, Alex clicked on one of the images. It was Jacob, but he looked younger and was at a party, a bottle of booze in his hand. The other people around him were fit, muscular and many of them were just as tan as he was. The next picture was the same, except he was sitting at a booth, a big grin on his face. Alex sifted through the next ten photos of the party until one stopped him. It was a magazine article detailing a huge win by a tournament fighter.

“Holy shit.” Suddenly, things were falling into place. Jacob was in the photo in fighter gear, holding a belt that declared him the champion for that year. The headline read “Jacob 'The Wolf' Torren New Champion of the Fighting world”. Of course, Alex thought to himself. That would explain why he's a technophobe. He doesn't know how to use this stuff. He was probably poor or middle class. He doesn't even know what to do with a big house or millions of dollars. Alex sighed, also realizing why his backhand hurt so much.

Now even more curious, he searched through the man's emails, finding none of it interesting until he found a chain from someone called “red”. Figuring he had several hours, Alex started at the beginning.

Wolf,

Hey, long time no see. Can't wait to see the new house. Heard it was big. Got a friend who can help you with decorating it. Gonna put in a gym?
Red

Red,

Thanks, it's too big for me but I feel like I have to have one now. I'll talk to your friend ASAP and you should come over. It's big and empty in here. I think I'll put a gym in the basement.
Wolf

Wolf,

Wow, it really was big! Can't wait to see the gym and work out with you there! Big tournament this Saturday. You going?
Red

Red,

Can't. Mom's sick. Going to go see her. Who was your friend that you brought? The one with the curly hair?
Wolf

Wolf,

Moira? Why do you want to you know?
She deals in shipping materials. Say hi to your mom for me.
Red

Alex, bit his lip at the last email, wondering at the sudden change in tone.

Red,

I figured that part out. I meant, what kind of materials? Mom says hi. She's getting worse, though. I'm going to stay with her for a month if she keeps going like this.
Wolf

Wolf,

Hey, I'm real sorry to hear that. I'll see her in about a week. Lord knows that woman is practically my mother.
Red

“You didn't answer his question.”

Red,

You didn't answer my question.
Wolf

Wolf,

Sorry this email took so long. Your mother is looking well, as well as she can be anyway. It was good to see her again.
Look, I can't talk about it in emails, okay? You might say it's not kosher.
Red

Red,

So she deals in black market goods? What kind?
Wolf

Wolf,

You seem strangely interested in this.
Red

Red,

I am. Are you going to tell me or not?
Wolf

Wolf,

Human trafficking
Red

The conversation ended there, though there were more recent email trains with 'Red'. The one to 'Moira' was the one that caught his attention the most.

Moira,

Heard you were involved in certain illicit activities. Not a cop. Want to meet you to talk about it.
Wolf

Wolf,

I remember you. Lovely house. Meet me at my office. We'll do lunch.
Moira

Moira,

Very nice to meet you in person. Would like to keep talking to you. What's your job like?
Wolf

Wolf,

It's very rare to meet someone so interested in what I do. Most are put off or ambivalent about it. These are people involved in 'trade' themselves but it seems that even the wicked draw lines.
Moira

Moira,

I am finding myself very drawn to it. Fascinating. Does the government know?
Wolf

Wolf,

Funny you should ask. I take it you distrust the government? The answer is yes and no. Many know, many others do not.
Moira

Alex felt his heart pounding. All these years he had learned about poor countries and the slave trade—how rich girls on vacation would be kidnapped and sold in some derelict place with bad government control. His stomach turned. It was happening in my own backyard. How long? Decades? Centuries?

Moira,

How much does one cost? Do you get all kinds?
Wolf

Wolf,

Name it, I can get it. Price depends on rarity. Some have been trained, others have not. It varies like any market. Do you want one?
Moira

Moira,

Sorry this email took so long. Your last question surprised me. I thought about it a lot and, yes, I want one.
Wolf

Wolf,

It was nice having lunch with you today. I think you're much smarter than people let on. I'm going to warn you right now to hold off on buying one for another few years. Let's just say that it may become legal in that time.
Moira

Moira,

Want to talk to you in person. Elaborate? I think I know what you're saying but I want to hear it directly.
Wolf

The next email came several years later, at the very top of the stack.

Wolf,

I found one for you. He's a Senator's son. Brown hair, brown eyes, cute face, nice figure. He's not “special” but he's good looking. Never been used. If you do buy him keep it quiet. He's supposed to be dead.
Moira

Alex felt bile rise in his throat as he looked away from the screen. His hands covered his mouth as he bent over, the world spinning and crashing violently around him. All at once he wanted to reach through the screen and choke the woman in the emails. “How?” Alex stood, pacing back and forth. What she had said in the emails must have referred to the coup. She knew about it. How many others? How could no one see it coming? How could it have been so quiet?

“The same way they kept a slave trade going for so long. Put it where no one will look. Under their fucking noses.” He slumped into the chair, feeling powerless, his shoulders hanging in defeat.

///

Alex was laying in bed when Jacob came home. He could feel the man's presence when he entered the front door, tensing up, the sick feeling returning. He knew the plan. He had to give the man whatever he wanted; he had to make him trust him. Yea, but can I go through with it?

Jacob came in the bedroom sighing, his tie hanging loosely around his neck. He said nothing as he flipped on the light, undressing casually. Alex was unsure if he should remain on the bed or get on the floor. He hadn't recalled any provision or rule stating that he had to be at attention when the other entered the room. Still, he thought nervously before slipping onto the floor. The suit jacket landed near him and he grabbed it, moving to drape it over a chair, more out want for something to do than anything.

“You don't have to do that.” Jacob tossed the comment over his shoulder, continuing to get undressed. “You can get on the bed. I'll be there in a moment.”

Alex realized he hated that about the man the most. Everything, even...that...was so uneventful to him. He clenched his fists, stifling the rage that built up in him before crawling back into the bed. Jacob kept his word and joined him, his large presence making Alex unconsciously curl into a ball to escape it. Go to sleep, please. Just go to sleep. You're tired, aren't you?

“Come here.”

Alex bit his lip, wanting to scream. Try as he might, he couldn't bring himself to move. His arms and legs were trapped in cement, glued in place. Only one thought was on his mind. What will you do?

The pause grew long and he felt Jacob's impatience.

Slowly, he moved, turning over and crawling until he was straddling the man's lap.

///

This took way longer than planned. I had a term paper and more tests. Good news, though! I found out that I have a whole year to complete several classes, and I may be going into an interpreter program. If I do that, I can pay my way through school! Also, my insurance is taken care of for the next two years (thank the baby Jesus).

Thanks for your guys' continuing support of this little story! I had a lot of fun writing the email part. I love letting reader's peek in on aspects of worlds or characters. Hope you enjoy this one just as much as the last ones and continue to support me.

Criticism and questions always welcome. Comments are my life blood. Remember that I consider these chapters to be first drafts.

Just an FYI, I listened to Ghosts I-IV by Nine Inch Nails while writing this. I'm considering those albums this story's soundtrack. Also, “Smooth” by Iio helped inspire me.