Date: Sat, 20 Mar 2021 14:15:00 +0000 From: Andrew Passey Subject: The Amulet Part Seven (Young Friends) (Science Fiction) "Have you been tested?" The boy driving the minibus asked us. We looked at each other in confusion and I decided honesty was the best policy. "I don't think so. To be honest we're lost, we're not from around here and we have no idea what's going on. Where is everyone?!" I asked. The boy put the minibus into gear and drove off into town, "Have you guys been living under a rock? Or just bullshitting to get out of work detail? I know it's an arse but we're all in it together," He said which didn't answer any questions really. We were quiet as we drove the short distance into town, as we got closer to the centre I did see more signs of life, but only boys doing various tasks in the street. Most of the shops were boarded up and it had an end of the world feel to it. We pulled up outside a large hotel which I recognised as the Grand. The boy jumped out and spoke to another boy who then spoke to someone on a walkie talkie. The boy then jumped back in, looked at us and just said, "Test centre first to be safe. After you're clear you can come back here for work detail and we'll find out a bit more about each other." He drove us a short distance to another hotel which has masked people outside in full medical gear. We were made to leave our bags inside the van. We were then taken out and shepherded inside before being taken to a waiting room where we had to write our names and wait to be called. Alex went first, then they called Lee, James and Matt leaving me on my own and nervous. The others didn't come back and then I was called. I went through the door to see a pretty hi tech medical room with machines, a bed and all sorts of other equipment. There was a boy who didn't look much older than me wearing a doctor's outfit and on the large TV screen an adult who was dressed casually. "I'm assistant medical officer Freddie and the man on the screen is Dr Foxton. We'll be running a few tests to check all is ok. We'll be asking some questions as well so please answer honestly. First of all please disrobe," The boy said to me. I looked at him in surprise. "the clothes, take them all off please," he said slightly exasperatedly as if I wasn't the first boy to not understand what disrobe meant. I did as I was told. I took all my clothes including my amulet off until I stood there naked. I was embarrassed to be standing in front of the boy and the Dr on the screen. He measured all bits of me, muscles, waist, length of my dick. It was all a bit humiliating. He then said I could put a medical robe on which I did and he took a sample of blood and saliva. He out them into a "testing machine" with and then gave me a small vial" "Masturbate into that please assuming you can shoot sperm?" He said matter of factly. I went bright red, "Er I can but why.?," "It's part of the test. I'll pull the screen to give you some privacy," he said and he did so which at least meant he and the doctor couldn't see me. I could hear them talking softly about me but not specifics. It was pretty embarrassing to do this but I did as I was told, using the memory of Alex earlier that morning to help get me off. "Are you done?" He asked a couple of minutes later. I said yes and he came in and took the vial, taking it off with him. "We won't be long," he said as he punched a keyboard and looked at various results as did the doctor. "Negative for all of it. It's not just immunity, it's like he never had it. Like the others. What should we do?" I heard the boy say. "Vaccinate for safety and then work detail. The genetic signature looks normal although I'd like to run more tests on some of those samples. Could be interesting diversification potential but I'd like to be sure," The Doctor replied, seemingly forgetting I was here. The boy came back with a needle and injected my arm. He then looked at me sternly. "You and your friends are an anomaly. We're only interested in the medical side of things but I warn you when you get back to HQ they will have questions. I'd advise you to answer them fully and honestly. For your sake and ours," he said before saying I could dress and leave. I did as I was told and exited the centre to another room where everyone else was waiting. We compared notes and they'd all had to do the same before another boy came in and asked us to come in. We walked into a large computer room where we had to do a variety of tests, cognitive, logic, mental and a variety of mathematics and science based ones. At the end he printed out a report on all of us which he then said he was adding to the medical report and put in an envelope for each of us. "Do not lose this. These are to be given to HQ. It's your passport to access work and facilities to match your ability. If you lose them you'll end up cleaning the sewers and nobody wants to do that. Now leave through that door and you'll be driven back to HQ," He said handing us the envelopes. We did as we were told and we were soon back with the same driver as before. He drove us round the back of the Grand Hotel before passing us on to a couple of boys with "security" jackets who escorted us to yet another waiting room. One by one we were called in and yet again I was left there on my own. I wondered what was going on as where the others were when I was called in myself. I walked into a large room with a mousey haired boy with glasses sat at a desk at the end of it. He ignored me initially, tapping into a computer that looked fairly normal. I gave him my envelope and he opened it and read through it. He made a few notes and scribbles as he did. He then tapped away on his computer. He turned to look at me with an unreadable expression on his face. "So Sam, you're an....interesting boy. You and your friends aren't telling all you know I suspect but that's ok. We've all been through a lot and it's hard at times. That's all in the past. It's now all about working together as a collective to make things better for everyone. We're all in it together after all. What happens now is that you'll be assigned a work detail. This will be like your new family, you'll live, work, breathe with them most of the time." "What about my friends?" I asked. They were my family now, I did not want to be separated from them. There was a knock on the door, which delayed the answer I was waiting for, "Enter" the boy said then stood up and bowed as another boy entered. He was dark haired and tall, older than me I thought, very handsome and well dressed. "Hello sir, what can I do for you?" The mousey haired boy asked, clearly subordinate to the dark haired boy. "Hello Charles. I heard we'd had a few new recruits turn up today. All a bit mysterious. Is this one of them here?" He asked. "Yes, he's the last one of them, I've processed the rest and was just about to assign work detail for him," Charles said to the dark haired boy who gave me an appraising glance. "Interesting. Can I see his report?" He asked walking over to the desk .He picked up and read my paperwork once Charles had given it him. "What were you thinking work wise for him and his friends?" He asked, still reading the report. "Possibly admin for this one, farm for the others," Charles said, "No! Don't separate me from my friends!" I protested, then realised I probably was expected to say quiet. "Why? You'll have a new family now. You'll see your friends on their days off. Is there a special reason why you shouldn't be separated?" The dark haired boy asked, a faint smile playing across his lips. I was in two minds what to say. I could tell the truth, up to a point, and say we were close friends and Alex was my boyfriend. But then again how was homosexual behaviour judged here? Could I be talking myself into trouble? Then again I didn't want to be separated from Alex. I blushed and stammered slightly, unable to think of the words. "Come in Sam, spit it out. I'm guessing a boyfriend? Nothing to be shy about if so. Given the world we live in then taking comfort where you can get it is understandable and you are cute after all. Charles. I'm looking for a new PA with Jim off to start his training programme in a couple of days, reading Sam's file he seems ideal. If he's interested?" The boy addressed the question to both of us. Charles caught my eye and nodded slightly so I nodded, "I'd be honoured Sir. What of my friends though?" I asked. The boy laughed, "If you're as focused on managing my diary and life as much as you are with your friends and maybe that special friend then you'll be a great addition to the team. Charles, for now have the other boys put up here for the night. I'll have a discussion with Sam about whether we can reach an arrangement. Now come with me Sam and bring your paperwork," I stood up and followed the boy out the room as he strode off with purpose. "Sam!" Alex called from where he was sat down and he ran over and hugged me. I broke off as the boy turned round and smirked slightly. "Ah the boyfriend. What's your name? I'm guessing you're Alex from your file?" He said, leafing through some papers. "Yes I am. Who are you?" Asked Alex not particularly warmly. The boy laughed. "I'm in charge here, most boys call me Sir but I do have a name that you may learn in due course. You're lucky, you were due to be sent off to the farms which is hard work. A boy like you as well would be very popular with some of the older boys if they want a bit of relief after a hard day in the field." "I'm not interested Sir, Sam is all I need," Alex said stiffly. The boy laughed, "Well I didn't say it would be consensual did I? We do what we can but boys will be boys it seems and some boys do get more than they bargained for. Anyway as I said you were due to be sent to the farms but Sam is my new personal assistant and we're going to have a chat about what to do with you all. I'm sure Sam can be persuasive. Now you four will all sleep here tonight. Charles will come and sort out rooms for you until we've reached a decision. Follow me Sam," he said and he strode off again. I quickly kissed Alex goodbye and whispered I'd see him soon then followed the boy to the lift where he was waiting. The lift arrived and a few boys got out, before we got in and he pressed the button for the top floor. Once there we walked down a corridor until he opened a room. It was huge. I guess it was the biggest suite in the hotel. It had big windows overlooking the sea which glistened in the late afternoon sunshine. "This is the lounge. My bedroom is off that way. Jim!" He called out and a side door opened, an older boy came about and bowed slightly. "Sam here is taking over from you. Can you give him a handover in the morning. He'll take over your room so you can move downstairs for a couple of nights before you leave for Gatwick. Report back here at 9am for us to plan the day and you to start your training of Sam. Now pack up and head down to Charles for room assignment. Oh and get Charles to send up Sam's bag plus some clean clothes," The boy said, clearly used to ordering Jim and other people around. "Take a seat Sam," the boy said waving over at a chair. I sat down waiting to hear what was going on. The boy busied himself reading through papers. He then fired up a computer he had and read more things. Jim came out with his bags and the boy saw him out before shutting the door. He picked up a phone, "Hi Pete, it's Robert here. Can you send someone up to make a bed please? Also I'd like to order some wine and dinner for two in say a couple of hours please? Yes, that's fine, great, thanks Pete,"The boy said, hanging up. So his name was Robert. But I still had no idea who he was, where we were and what the fuck was going on here. "Come and see your room Sam," he said beckoning me to come over to the room Jim had just left. It was a smallish bedroom with a double bed and it's own bathroom, as well as a computer on a desk with a filing cabinet and printer. Nothing like the opulence of Robert's room but much better than a tent! There was a knock and a boy came in to strip the bed, remake it and bring towels. He left and Robert told me to come back through to the main room. I sat down as instructed and he looked at me intently. "What's your story Sam?" He asked. I started to give a convoluted explanation of why I didn't really know what was going on before he held up his hand. "Enough with the bullshit. Tell me the truth, however outlandish it might seem," He said. Could I trust him? I didn't know. I had a feeling he probably was but this was a different world. I didn't really know what was going on. "Ok I will do. But before I do I need to know what is going on here? What happened here? Where are the adults? The girls?" I asked, hoping to get answers. He sighed, "I ask the questions not you. I'm in charge not you. I'll let this slide and tell you about this world first but I will expect payback later." The phrasing confused me. He said "this world". It was like he knew I was from another world but how would he. "I'll pretend you're an alien just landed on this planet. So we're in Brighton in England. It's 2019. The 21st century has been tough here. We had bird flu at the start of the century, then Swine flu in 2009. This wiped out a decent part of the elderly population. Then we had another strain of bird flu in 2012, and the year after. We were on our knees, millions dead so following the resurgence of swine flu in 2015 we've made drastic changes. Because of this we seem to have escaped the effects of the latest pandemic that's sweeping the world. We closed our borders in 2017. We're pretty much self sufficient, partly because so many adults died in these previous pandemics but it's not exactly a time of plenty. Now, the remaining adults are safely inside the big cities. It's down to us under 16s to farm the land and produce enough food to keep the population going. It's hard work and we're not really well suited to it but it's the only option. In the cities we're now growing modified vegetables in underground warehouses so the hunger situation is improving. We need more manpower though, we've got teenage girls in facilities around the country being impregnated by IVF. We make sure we use sperm with genetic code which shows immunity to these diseases. We're slowly going to increase population and we work towards a day when we can relax borders and restrictions but it's a harsh world out there and we're not in any rush. Once a boy reaches 16 like Jim he goes off to train in whatever the powers that be. I guess you could say the Government. They decide where a boy is most needed. They live in London and manage the country remotely. It's hard as we communicate by video call but it generally works ok. At least we're alive even if things are not too rosy here. As for me, I've worked my way up so I'm in charge of Brighton and the East Sussex region with regards to farming and managing manpower. Assisted by my handler in London but I have fairly free reign as long as the food is supplied. I'm only just 15 so I have another year of gaining experience and it's likely I'll end up high up when this is all done. So there you go, now tell me honestly where you're from. I know it's not this world. You have none of the natural immunities you should have. I guess you've come through a gateway from who knows where. Apparently the scientists back in London are convinced we've had the odd person come through over the past few decades so it wouldn't be totally unique. Why though, is another question.." I sat there dumbfounded, this world sounded dark. Death ever present and a whole society reorganised to try to prevent it but it seemed that the heavy lifting fell to the under 16s. I was also shocked he suspected the truth. I decided to tell him the truth, well an edited version of it. I left out the amulet and me controlling it, just keeping it simple. We found a gateway and walked through it. He was interested in the Nazi world and interested in my world which was not that dissimilar to his. When I was done he looked at me with an interested expression on his face. He leaned forward on his chair. "So, are you able to take me to where you came through? Not this moment but at some point?"he asked. "I suppose so although the others probably remember where it is better than I do Sir," I replied. He laughed, "You really are persistent! But it does bring us on to the subject of your friends. As I said all sorts happen on those farms. There's a limit to what we can do to protect boys from each other. Hormones and all that don't help and most of us have lost parents to various disease. It can make some cold and hard hearted and only interested in their own gratification whether or not it hurts someone. In fact for some I think they like causing the pain. I've done what I can to stop rape in the farms but I'm not naive enough to think it still doesn't go on. So ideally your friends wouldn't be sent there. Now that I know the truth then I'm sure we can find them a role here in writing up about your world. No doubt helping with experiments and increasing our knowledge of gateways and travelling between worlds. God knows that we could do with access to a place unsullied by these pandemics. However......." Robert left it hanging, after silence for a minute or two I finally bit, "However what..sir?"I asked "I can protect your friends and your boyfriend and they'd be useful certainly. I can probably even arrange for Alex to come and sleep with you in your room and help you be my personal assistant. However, it's really up to you as to whether you're happy to assist me in all personal matters. Quid pro quo. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours," He said smiling at me. "Ok sir. I want to protect my friends and I want your protection. What do I need to do for you?" I asked, feeling cornered. "That's still to be discussed and agreed. For now, tell me more about your world. Have you had pandemics like we had? How does the governing system work? What does the rest of the world look like?" He asked. We chatted back and forth, him quizzing me and me providing answers. It seemed my world was a bit different even before the pandemic. The UK had never joined the EU here which didn't really seem to exist so Europe was still a load of fractured countries. Cooperation wasn't great and it seemed to me to be one of the reasons the pandemics had taken such a hold. Certain aspects of this world were also completely alien to me. The forced nature of child labour and impregnating of girls sat very badly with me. I didn't understand why people stood for it. "What happens if a 13 year old like me refuses work detail? " I was curious to see if it was a stick or carrot approach. Robert laughed, "It very rarely happens but it's not totally out of bounds. We've been using child labour for over a decade. We've grown up with it. You can appeal against your work detail but you can't refuse it. Let's just say we're all in it together and if someone decides they aren't going to help... well the majority take steps to get them onboard. If they still won't? Well there is always a need for boys to get release so refuseniks usually get shipped off to entertainment complexes where they get used and abused by other boys. Word gets around and it's surprising how quickly boys who aren't sure about following orders suddenly decide they're happy to go and work the fields or mine coal or whatever," Robert said, I couldn't tell if it was a grimace or a slight smirk on his face, I hoped it was the latter. The whole talk of boys being used was making me feel sick and more concerned than ever about this world. Food then arrived and I was starving. We talked more as I tried to not to scoff all the food. I realised I hadn't eaten since breakfast. Robert drank wine and poured me a glass. It didn't taste too bad and I finished before he topped me up. We finished and someone came to take plates away. I was feeling a warm fuzzy glow I guess from the wine. Another bottle was brought and I had a suspicion that Robert was trying to get me drunk. "So Sam, I guess you think this world is worse than yours? I'm inclined to agree. In this pretty miserable world we take pleasure where we can get it. I'm talking around the subject but I guess I'll make it obvious for you. I like you. I may be in charge here but like all teenage boys I have certain......needs. Yes it's not too hard for me to find someone to mess around with. I can even order them if I want. But you're different. You're cute but also you're from another world. There's so much infighting and manipulation here. Many boys would love to topple me. So I generally keep myself out of personal pleasure even if it's bloody hard. But with you and your friends here that can change. Outside this room I'm the boss with responsibilities. In this room I just want to be Robert. I just want to be enjoying sex with attractive boys like you. That's the deal, keep me happy and I'll look after you," He said confirming all my fears. I had no choice really, I could say no but he'd dropped enough hints to tell me what could happen to my friends if I did. "Ok. I'll do it to keep you happy and my friends safe. No fucking though..Robert," I said trying to set ground rules although I also knew I had limited power. I wasn't really totally sure on the ins and outs of fucking anyway but I was fairly sure if I did it then I'd only want to do it with Alex. Given that I'd only had my first sexual experience a few days ago (although it felt like weeks) I certainly didn't want things to move too quickly. "Hmm, we'll see. I doubt I can keep to that but depends how good your mouth is. Now you need a shower as do I, strip off and join me and we can wash each other."He said. This was clearly coercion but at the same time I knew what I was getting into. I wanted him to protect my friends. He was also a person of some power here and a useful ally. If nothing else I'd need to get everyone together to escape although I was starting to realise there were a lot of problematic worlds out there! The promise of being able to sleep with Alex also appealed although how he'd handle what I was going to be doing with Robert I wasn't sure. I followed Robert into the large bathroom and stripped off, standing there naked in front of him. He stripped down to his pants and then pulled them off. He was a bit smaller than Matt was but still clearly a 15 year old with a decent sized dick with lots of hair while I was still small and hairless. "Nice, even better than expected," he said looking at me. Then he pushed me into the shower and turned it on. It was a relief to be able to get properly clean. I luxuriated in the hot water. I closed my eyes and washed my hair, letting the water flow through it. Robert was behind me and started washing my back and my arse which made me feel a bit uncomfortable. It was an intimate gesture and I only had one person I wanted to be intimate with and it wasn't Robert. I then felt his hard dick poking between my cheeks and I slipped away from him. "I said no fucking!" I said firmly. Robert laughed, "My dick has to actually go IN your hole for it to be fucking. I was just enjoying rubbing it between your cheeks. Feel free to take care of it then in a way that is more acceptable to you," He said. I cleared my eyes of shampoo and looked down at his 5 inch plus hard dick. I could suck it but let him wait for that. I slipped my hand down and took it in my grasp. I then started to wank him off while my other hand fondled his balls. I reached under and tickled his hole, after all he decided my arse was in play! He was obviously horny as he didn't last long, shooting his load against the shower wall. "Pretty good. I really needed that. Now show me if you can cum," He said pointing at my hard dick. I felt more embarrassed wanking myself off than wanking him but did as I was told, shooting a bit of cum over my hand when I had my orgasm. We washed off in the running water and I felt really guilty. What would Alex think if I told what I'd done? And I would have to tell him, as soon as I could. I towelled off and went to my room before I got dressed into clean clothes, and went back to see Robert. He was lying naked on his bed reading a report on something. He smiled at me, "Thanks for that Sam, you must be tired. You're relieved for the night. Be up at 7.30 so we can shower together before breakfast. Jim turns up at 9am and it will be a busy day." I nodded and said thanks and then lay on my bed thinking about Alex. Was he ok? Was he thinking about me? What about the others, were they ok? I hoped I might see them or at least get answers the next day. Robert was right though, I was tired and as soon as my head hit the pillow I fell asleep.