My Descent into Slavery Ch. 26

"I've run across Dominants and submissives from all walks of life, attorneys, teachers, a head of state, military, police, politicians, rich, poor, young, old, black, white and everything in between. My research has shown me that there's some segments of the population who are naturally Dominant, some naturally submissive, and a whole bunch who are neither, from somewhere in the middle. They could just as easily be judges as they are gang members. Being Dominant or submissive doesn't make you more prone to criminal behavior. It doesn't make it harder to do your job, or unable to do it. You may not know you're Dominant or submissive, may not have ever practiced it, but it's lying there inside of you like a genetic propensity for light or dark hair, or skin, or gender preference. It wouldn't have affected her ability to do her job. If she was a good agent, she was a good agent, and it had nothing to do with her submission.

"According to the person who suggested she was fucked over by her Dominant, Lynn was a good FBI agent, a good friend, a good person; who got used and abused by a bad person who she trusted. Not only was her life ruined by that person, but any credibility she had to get him arrested and prosecuted for his offenses against her and the scum bags he protected, was shot to hell by the movies he made of her. I'd be hard pressed not to shoot the shit myself. If the movies you have show she was masked every time she fucked someone other than her Master, I'd be willing to bet she didn't know who she was fucking, that she was being filmed, nor that she was being used that way."

"How common is it, really, Dominance and submission?"

"If you know one hundred people, four of them are probably living as a Dominant with, or at least searching for, a compatible submissive. Three of the four would be male, one female. Submissives are a little more common, perhaps six or seven of them, in the proportion of 5 females to one or two males. A switch, someone who could be a top or bottom is more rare, perhaps one in a hundred, perhaps equally divided, but if female, they'll more often be a bottom than a top, and vice versa.

"At the casual level, perhaps fifty percent or more of all people have experimented with some form of bondage and discipline. Things like being tied down, blindfolded, spanked or tickled. In a lot of cases, it would be no more than sexual experimentation. Even my so called neutrals, those in the middle, lean towards one side or the other, but it doesn't extend to something that they'd do every day, or even every weekend. Males tend to be more Dominant, the so called alpha males, but even alpha males aren't all Dominant, though you'll never meet a Dominant male who isn't an alpha.

"Females tend to be more submissive. It's a male dominated society after all. We tend to be raised that way, but I think biology plays a part. For hundreds of thousands of years, females needed a strong male, a protector, to hunt for meat, and defend her and her children from predators. Women will, subconsciously, still look for strong male figures, usually represented by power in today's world. The rich, the strong, the successful; athletes, businessmen, politicians, all attract women like bees to honey. It was bred into us because the women who found strong males survived, and those who found weak ones didn't."

"Is there something that happens early in your life that conditions you to be one or the other?"

"I've seen no evidence of it. Our society doesn't raise us to be Dominants and submissives. The last hundred years have seen a push for equality of the sexes, but despite that, Dominants and submissives still exist. I believe it's an innate quality. At some point, like that fifty percent of the population who tries one of those bondage and discipline things found in popular literature, someone gets tied up and find they like it. It strikes that preexisting chord inside of them, so they experiment more and develop an affinity for it. Or someone tied someone else down, and it did nothing for them, so they don't do it again. You discovered you're not Dominant, perhaps neutral, or you're still waiting for someone to tie you down.

"I've conclusively proved, that women who were taken as actual slaves, aren't necessarily, now submissive. They may be obedient, because that was beaten into them, but given a choice, they're not submissive. Two slaves that we freed, were actually Dominant, and now have submissives of their own. One freed slave was submissive, and eventually found a kind Master. Most, like the general population, are neutral, neither one or the other. George is a Dominant, by the way."

Gary looked at George.

"He's not a practicing Dominant," I said. "It's just that it exists within him. He would probably be a very good Dominant if he chooses to practice it. I've encouraged him to do so, but like many people in a public profession, he might feel he cannot accept that carrot without negative consequences. It shouldn't be that way if everyone is entering a relationship of their own free will, but like you, other people will wonder if he isn't some kind of freak you need to keep away from small children. Lynn wasn't a freak. She was a member of a significant part of the population that practices Dominance and submission. If she hadn't trusted a bad Master, who should have been a good man by his profession, you might not have ever known what she was."

"You mentioned a Head of State. Was he or she Dominant or submissive and who?"

"I learned that information during a confidential survey. That information is confidential and won't ever be revealed. It doesn't matter anyway. It doesn't affect how they do their job, or their likely interactions with the US government. You can rest assured though, that out of 454 Representatives in the House, and a hundred Senators, at least ten are practicing Doms or subs. Another dozen may be non-practicing, like George. Again, it doesn't matter, unless they own involuntary slaves."

"But you definitely feel Lynn was not engaging in criminal behavior?"

"I never met the woman and can't conclude that's true, but given what I know about this culture, I'd be willing to bet it's true, given what I know about her, which is that she was a practicing submissive, well liked and respected by her friends, and that she was unable to see who she was having sex with. It fits. I think you had a good agent, who got put in a bad spot, and didn't see any way out for herself."

"Do you feel the same way, Mr. Greenbriar?" Gary asked.

"I know less than Ms. Wilson-Hafeez knows about her field of expertise, but I've learned to trust her judgment implicitly. She has a very good read on things pertaining to Dominance and submission, and has been very helpful in rehabilitating freed slaves, with the knowledge and experience she's gained. I'd be willing to take anything she tells me to the bank. She's never steered me wrong."

"Before we go, we have to report an incident with Daiyu," George said.

"Let me guess," I said. "She attempted to have sex with her interviewers, the interpreter, or someone else she was in contact with."

"Yes," George replied. "How did you know?"

"Slaves have been hypersexualized. They see sex as a way to avoid punishment. She may not feel that she is free yet, only that she's changed owners. She's trying to ingratiate herself to her new owner. She has nothing else to do this with, but with her body. Until she truly does realize she's free, she will continue to use sex as her only tool to be pleasing."

"How would you deal with it?"

"A cross between traditional psychological therapy and what was done to me after I was rescued from my slavery."

"What's that?

"Threaten her with punishment if she asks for sex or uses sex to attempt to get what she wants. Make her realize that sex isn't going to get her what she wants."

"How would you do that?" Gary asked.

"First of all, finding out what she wants. How did she end up a slave and would it be likely to happen again if she returned to China? If she wishes to go back, we'll send her back, if she chooses to remain, we'll make arrangements for housing, education, counseling, training, learning English. A fund from accounts confiscated from slavers, has been set up for freed slaves, seeing that they receive a hundred thousand dollars for every year or fraction thereof that they were enslaved, to reimburse them for their slavery. Hopefully, that helps them get set up for the rest of her life," Master said. "Beth, will begin the counseling process to help overcome the trauma of what they went through. Often, they're helped to adjust by other freed slaves who underwent the same experience. Group counseling seems most effective because of the shared experience."

"Would she be expected to have sex with anyone?"

"My wife would probably kill us all if we did. She was a slave for over four years herself, and detests anything having to do with slavery and coercion or forcing the innocent," I said. "From the very first moment we had exposure to freed slaves, everyone has been told that even if the freed slave requests sex, it has to be refused, because it's not a choice born out of free will, but slave conditioning. Even after it's been determined a slave is operating under free will, no one can ask for or initiate sex. The slave has to request sex themselves. Our first freed slave was beginning to develop romantic feelings for another crewman, and he couldn't ask her on a date. She had to ask him. Knowing what she went through, no one here would condone sex with Daiyu, even if she thinks she wants it."

"How will you know when she begins operating of her own free will."

"When she stops obeying every ridiculous command we give her and tells us to go to hell," I said. "When she's ready to fight instead of submit, then we'll know. I'll also give her the survey I developed, to determine her inner nature after I've translated it into Chinese. If she's an actual submissive, we have to be more careful, because her natural tendency is to submit, even above her slave conditioning. They tend to be a tougher case. If they still want a Master, we have to make sure we find one who won't abuse her, as she'll accept more abuse than a regular submissive. The actual Dominants began breaking their conditioning faster than the others did, sometimes within a couple of days, whereas it might be days or even weeks for the rest."

"Can we observe the start of how that might work?"

"Of course." I said.

We went back into the house where Sahar was talking to Daiyu. Daiyu had eaten, but not a lot, perhaps concerned she might get fat, displeasing her new owners.

"Sweetie," I said, "I'd like to talk to Daiyu now. Do you know how long she has been a slave?"

"Two and a half years," Sahar said. "She's offered to have sex with everyone here if we don't punish her."

"Do you know if she has scars on her back?"

"She said her owner didn't want her skin marred, He was an expert at giving pain without marking her, the bastard."

"I know what you'd like to do to him," I said.

Sahar glanced at George. "Only what he deserves," she said.

"I'm going to be taking a page out of your playbook, sweetie, play along."

"Really, you're going to threaten her?"

"It worked for me."

I took off my clothes, shocking Gary and George. Daiyu, seeing me strip, started removing her clothes as well.

I immediately hit the button on the translation app, and said, "Stop. If you remove your clothes, you'll be punished, severely. Do you understand?"

Daiyu immediately halted her stripping and said something in Chinese, which translated to English, "Yes, Mistress."

"In this house, only free people may be naked. Slaves have to remain clothed at all times, except when bathing and using the toilet. Failure to obey will result in punishment. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mistress. I don't have a lot of clothes, Mistress."

"They'll be provided. Your second rule is this; asking for sex, having sex, and offering sex will result in punishment. You didn't know the rules before now, so you won't be punished for telling us you'd have sex with everyone if we didn't punish you. In the future, that won't be the case. You'll be punished for offering sex to anyone, having sex with anyone, or asking for sex. Slaves don't get to enjoy anything as pleasurable as sex. Do you understand? Sex is reserved for free people, not slaves."

"Yes, Mistress. Sahar told me I was free. Does that mean I can have sex?"

"Are you free? What do you think?"

I was boxing her into a corner, psychologically. If she felt free, she might answer yes, but if she felt like a slave still, the answer would have to be no, because admitting she was free to her new owners might result in punishment.

"No, I'm not free. I'm a slave, Mistress."

"I thought so. A free person would know she's free. She wouldn't have to ask. Where are you from?"

"Hunan Province, Mistress."

"How were you taken as a slave?"

"I was going to the tea fields early in the morning. A van pulled up alongside of me, and pulled me in. I was taken to a training facility where I was trained for six weeks, then sold to my owner, Mistress."

"Does that mean you were a virgin when you were taken?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"Your old owner was arrested for crimes against the state and humanity. He's no longer your owner. Would you like to guess who your new owner is?"

Daiyu looked at the three males first, then the women. "I'm not sure, Mistress."

"I guess that means you're a slave to all of us."

"Yes, Mistress."

"Then I order you to turn on the stove and stick your hand in the flame."

Our two male guests got agitated and were about to say something. Master cautioned them not to speak.

"Please, Mistress, don't make me do this."

"Are you a slave?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"What happens to slaves who are disobedient?"

"They're punished, Mistress."

"I'm waiting, slave. I don't want to repeat myself."

Daiyu got up and approached to stove, moving slowly, looking back at me, hoping against hope for a reprieve. I waited until she turned the flame on, then said, "Stop. Don't hurt yourself."

Her shoulders sank in relief.

"Like your previous owner, we don't want your skin marred unless you are very disobedient. I had to see if you'd obey."

"Yes, Mistress. Thank you."

Without translating, I turned to our two guests.

"As you can see, despite being told that she's free, Daiyu doesn't yet believe it, and was willing to burn herself to obey an obviously painful, and ridiculous order. If she'd believed Sahar, and said she was free immediately, it would have been an indication of her beginning to throw off her slave conditioning. She did not. She admitted that she was a slave, and is not yet fighting against an absurd order. If I can tell her something equally crazy and she tells me to fuck off, she's on her way to recovery. If she'd have grabbed that knife on the stove top and threatened to kill us, she would already be halfway there. She'll need work." I turned back to Daiyu and asked. "Do you have a tattoo on your pussy indicating you're a slave?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"What does it mean?"

"That I can never be free Mistress. That whoever sees it, will know I'm a slave and may take me back into custody and resold."

"Have you eaten enough?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"You have not. I want you to eat more. We'll decide when you've eaten enough."

"Yes, Mistress."

Again, not translating, I said, "She's afraid of getting fat, and thereby displeasing her owner. She didn't have that much food to begin with, and is probably hungry most of the time. We'll put her on a healthy diet and exercise. My wife greatly believes in working the body to exhaustion to help overcome slave conditioning. Daiyu will be taught to defend herself and hurt anyone who attempts to enslave her again. When she does pick up that knife, she'll know what to do with it."

"Aren't you afraid she'll kill you in your sleep?" Gary asked.

"Not yet. She's in a country she doesn't understand, and she doesn't speak the language. Where would she go and what would she do? She doesn't know she has money. If a runaway slave is captured, and her slave markings are recognized, I'm sure she's been told she'll suffer the worst sort of torture. It would have been natural for her previous owner to tell her that to avoid having her ask for help. Her tattoo was used to reinforce her belief that she's a slave and can't ever be free, because whoever sees it will know she's a slave. It was the same way that Mahmoud used a brand for the slaves he'd captured and sold. You can never be free because you're marked for life. When she asks for the tattoo to be removed, she'll truly be free in her own mind. We'll actually treat her kindly, more kindly than her previous owner. She wouldn't kill us until she's got something better to go to. Punishments she'll be given will be relatively mild, and just harsh enough, she'll wish she weren't having them, but not harming her at all."

To Daiyu again, using the translator. "You can be sold anywhere, Daiyu. Where would you like to be sold? Back in China, in Hunan, or would you like to remain here? Are your parents still living? Do you have brothers or sisters?"

"My parents are dead, Mistress. They died in the Stibnite mine. They were only allowed one child, so I have no siblings. It doesn't matter where I'm sold."

"Joshua, what's Stibnite?" I asked.

"It's the ore that's used in antimony extraction," Master said. "Hunan is a major source of antimony."

I nodded and asked Daiyu how old she was when her parents died.

"Fifteen, Mistress."

"How old were you when you were enslaved?"

"Seventeen, Mistress."

"So, you're nineteen, or twenty now?"

"Twenty, Mistress."

"This iPad is yours to keep so you can speak to us, and understand our orders. There are programs installed on the device to teach you to read and write English. Sahar will teach you how to use them, as they're how she learned to speak it. You must carry it with you at all times so we can always communicate, or you'll be punished. Whenever you're not doing anything else, you'll be working on learning English. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mistress."

To the two men again, "Essentially, that's how we'll have to approach her recovery, slowly bringing her to the realization that she is free, and can go anywhere and do anything. We don't have any other freed slaves to put her into groups with at the moment, but we'll be going back to New York in July. She'll start groups then. I might bring a few down for a week's visit before then, to meet other freed slaves and realize that she can reach the same state. The language barrier is a hindrance at the moment, but Daiyu will learn English quickly to avoid angering her owners."

"You don't mind me checking up on her, do you?" George asked.

"Not at all. I'd expect nothing less. Frequent contact would be good as she's still a witness for the prosecution. When Sharon is ready to move, bring her up. She'll be working with Daiyu as well."

"I will. Is there any chance that Daiyu would refuse to testify?" George asked.

"If she believed that her previous owner could get custody of her again, she'd be afraid of what he would do to her when she was reacquired. If she believes she'll never go back to him, she won't be afraid to testify."

"Regardless of the results of the trial, he'll be deported."

"All the more reason she'll want to remain here, but at least she won't be afraid of him."

"I was quite surprised when you took off your clothes," Gary said. "Why did you do that?"

"Nudity is a frequent state of being here. I had to differentiate what we'll be doing, and what's expected of her. She's been the one who's been nude and forced to have sex as a slave. Her owner was clothed unless having sex with her. I want her to differentiate being a slave, from what the free people are doing. We'll be nude and having sex, she won't, because she's not free. She knows she'll be punished if she's nude or has sex. If she takes off her clothes, it will be an indication that she's thinking of herself as free."