Run, Boy

So that was the punishment for trying to take me out of turn. I shuddered.

Farther down the hallway, I saw a hatch that looked like it led outside. That was promising. And something else caught my eye as well; a brightly-lit room was lined with men's clothes.

I looked down at my apron. For my escape, I needed something more to wear. I skipped past the room where the crew had their way with Ben. Landing with a little scuff, I slipped into the clothing room.

These were definitely men's clothes, but it was clear that they had been chosen by women. Vests, bicycle shorts, kilts, tennis shoes, sandals, and even buttless chaps hung on full display, with only one pair of decent pants. I saw T-shirts so small that they would be horribly tight on Ben. That meant they would be perfect for me. I swept off my apron and pulled on the orange T-shirt, then grabbed a pair of khaki shorts with a crotch zipper that lead all the way from the front of the waistline to the back. Now I needed a belt.

"Hey, hey, look what we've got here."

I turned around, and a tall woman with tan skin and striking green eyes stood in the doorway. She leaned against the doorsill, and her gaze was heavy-lidded, but she was sweating, and I could see her nipples making nubs on her shirt.

I scanned for my apron, which still contained my stunner. I started edging for it.

"Naughty boy," said the woman. "You know men don't dress themselves on this ship. You wear what we give you."

"I was cold," I stalled, as I tried to come up with an exit strategy.

"How about this," she said. "I won't tell them that you raided the closet, and you won't tell them that I fucked you."

That would certainly get her within stunning distance. "Fine," I said.

She stepped closer, shutting the door behind her, and bore down on me. I noticed that, for once, she was shorter than I. But she was fast. Before I could get any closer to my stunner, she shoved me onto my back. I raised my head, watching from below as she undid her pants. She pulled away my clothes, which had only been half-on to begin with, and I was helpless to stop my own erection from rising at the sight of her bare, toned body.

She did not give me much time to see it. She produced a condom and wrapped it over my cock, then she was on me. Her tightness took in my cock and held it, and I screwed my eyes shut. Her hands grabbed the sides of my chest, and her fingers dug into my skin. I could feel her breath blasting onto me with every buck. Her hands released my chest, and she sat up straight, fingering herself with one hand, toying my mouth with the other. Her hot fingers slipped over and around my tongue, then came away as she slathered herself with my juices. She wailed, and her first orgasm came flooding out.

She pulled herself up, lips pressed tightly together, still moaning in time with her breathing. "One more," she said. "One more. Yeah..."

This time, she did not ride my cock. That was good, because it felt like its skin was a size too small. Instead, she slid forward, onto my chest, then curled her spine all the way down and kissed me. I kissed her back, trying to excite her as much as possible. I must have done well, because she moaned into my mouth. She leaned forward and held my head in her hands, keeping me pinned while her tongue had its way with me.

Thinking quickly, I reached back and put a hand on her rear. Once I got between her cheeks, my fingers plied at her dripping lips. Her moaning changed pitch, her arms and legs crushed me, and she weathered another orgasm. When her body cooled a little, she finally released my mouth.

"Oh yeah," she huffed, "you're a good boy. Good, good boy."

For some reason, I smiled.

She stood up. "You're off the hook for stealing clothes. I'll see you when it's my turn." She got her clothes back on, blew me a kiss and left.

I sat where I was, processing what had happened to me. My apron was still in a pile beside me, and my stunner sat under it, unused. The sexual fog in my head cleared a little, and I remembered what danger I was in. I pulled the shorts back on, then the shirt, and found a simple black leather belt and slipped it through the belt loops. I pocketed the stunner, opened the door and was off.

Down the hall, away from where the women pleasured themselves on Ben, I saw the hatch marked with faded paint that spelled out 'hangar.' I let out a beleaguered smile and rushed through.

On the other side, I saw what I was looking for. In a cold metal garage, a powerful-looking hovercraft stood among a row of small vehicles, its door invitingly open. Through the open hangar bay doors, I could see the Martian landscape rolling by only about thirty feet below.

But there was something else in my way. One last crewwoman patrolled the catwalks.

I saw her before she saw me, so I ducked away and came up with a plan. When I had one, I presented myself.

"Excuse me," I said, as innocently as I could without sounding like a child. "The captain told me to come to you."

The guard's eyes bulged. "She what?"

"The guard- I mean the captain said you've been a good guard. She said I'm a..." I blushed, in a way that was only half-fake. "She said I'm your reward." I looked down and bashfully stuck my hands into my pockets. I studiously maintained my smile while my left hand found the stunner.

"Well," said the guard, coming toward me. "This is one hell of a reward, tell the captain that I- NYAAARGH!"

The stunner did its work, and she collapsed onto the railing, twitching, her eyes wide and clueless.

Now it was time for my escape, but first, I knelt down and gave the guard a full kiss on the lips- a consolation prize.

Inside the hovercraft, everything was dark and clean. Critical controls stuck out at me, and everything else fell into place. Within the minute, all engines were on, and I had a navigation computer spooling up a list of the nearest hub towns. I switched off the safety lever, squeezed the throttle and sent the craft hurtling out of the airship, into the Martian sky.

Now I was free. The hovercraft slammed down onto the ground, raising a pall of red dust that coiled in the downdraft of my machine. I turned south, away from the airship, and engaged the thrust jets. In a few minutes, the airship was out of sight.

I relaxed in my seat, breathing heavily. I realized that I smelled like sex, not just from the women who had used me, but my own body's reaction. As much as I hated to admit it, I was aroused.

I pushed that thought aside as I considered the future. I could, of course, keep moving south until my family found me with the tracking device. Then I would clean up, go back to normal and marry Arianas.

That last clause did not sound so appealing.

I looked down at the list of towns. Garlyle Post was only a few miles away: well within this vehicle's range. This was another option. I could shed my identity there and disappear, becoming simply another vagabond. I would be poor, but free.

'Free' was all I wanted. I turned up the engines and made for Garlyle Post.

Hours later, I found a scattering of black and grey buildings sitting on the rocky red desert. Climbing out of the hovercraft, I looked around.

The buildings of Garlyle Post ranged from simple huts to structured houses, none of them taller than two stories. People strutted through the dirt paths, making way for the few land vehicles that ambled between them. Glitzy lights, covered in sandblasted windshield, rose in the center of town, attracting small crowds to the theaters, arcades and brothels. Goods traveled in small crates or even from hand to hand, and heavy land barges lounged on a freight yard at the far end of the town. There were solar panels everywhere, a reminder that I was closer to the equator.

I got back into the hovercraft and cautiously drove to the middle of town, stopping when I found a junk dealership. I stepped up to the dealer, a middle-aged man with black hair and black skin.

"How much can I get for this vehicle?" I asked, patting the side. It occurred to me that I was giving up an excellent machine, but I needed to do it; I was broke.

The man looked the machine up and down, checking under flaps and running his finger along the windshield. "It's in good shape," he said. "Eight hundred SnapCoins."

"Fourteen hundred," I said.

"Twelve hundred."

"Sold."

The man handed over the money, and I allowed him to climb aboard the hovercraft and drive it into his lot. Just like that, I stranded but rich.

I went to buy food. A streetside vendor sold me milk, which was a rare treat, plus a cup of cheap noodles. "Where can I find a ride to the city?" I asked the vendor.

She pointed to the freight yard. "Hitch a ride," she said. "But don't stow away, because they've got heartbeat scanners. They'll catch you."

"I'll think of something. Thank you."

As I headed for the freight center, something stopped me. 'Of course,' I thought. 'The tracking chip. If I don't get rid of it, my family will keep following me.' I stopped for a moment, pondering why I thought that was bad- after all, they did treat me well. Then I remembered Arianas, and I thought of the big, open planet in front of me, and I made my decision. "I guess I'm a runaway," I said aloud.

I saw a hospital just behind the sports arena, and I got an idea. I stepped into the two-story building, where a handsome young white boy stood behind a desk, frantically checking off a clipboard. "Yes?" he said dutifully.

"I have a tracking device on me," I said, "I want it off." I had never been fond of beating around the bush, and I saw no reason to do it here.

"Now you know that wouldn't be legal," said the boy.

From word of mouth, I knew what the etiquette was like in these parts of the world. I passed over a dozen SnapCoins. He counted them up carefully, then looked up to me. For a minute, I thought I had miscalculated and he would call the police on me.

"Go ahead," he said, motioning me through the open doorway. "Dr. Piasecki will take care of you."

Through the doorway, a bald middle-aged man greeted me with the knowing smile of a shared secret. "So," he said, "you have a foreign object beneath your skin. We can have it neutralized, you know."

"That would be good."

"Then step in here, please." He motioned me into a clear tube. I stood inside, squared my stance, then closed my eyes and stood still as I heard machinery whirring around me.

"That's it," said the doctor. "Step out, please."

"Did it work?" I asked. "You know what kind of device I have, don't you?"

"Indeed. This tablet was synched to it. See for yourself."

The tablet displayed a stern 'no signal' message, even as I passed it all around my body. I double-checked and triple-checked its channel, but it was broadcasting on the same one that my family's emergency devices always used. The tracker could have only been dead. Finally, I was off the grid.

"Thank you, doctor," was all I could say. I was gripped by a sudden sense of what I had just done, and a voice deep in my mind told me that I didn't belong here. I sprinted out the doors, off to the freight yard.

At the freight yard, I checked my money, determined to make it last. I wanted to reach the big city, but I did not know how much the food there would cost, or how soon I could find work. Even though I was rich, I would need to play my cards carefully.

At the start of the yard, a woman perched on top of a dependable-looking black block of a truck, inspecting something under a panel on its roof. Her dark hair hung back in a ponytail, exposing her sweet Asian face, and she wore a tank top that revealed her nicely muscled arms and stomach.

I decided there was nothing to do but ask. "Ma'am, are you leaving this port?"

The woman scanned me with her eyes, then crouched and leapt off her roof, hanging onto a handlebar so she did a smooth somersault in the air. She landed in front of me, throwing up red dust, and eyed me up close. "Who wants to know?" she asked. Her voice was soft, but I could sense the danger beneath it.

"I want to reach the big city," I told her. "Discreetly is better. I'm willing to pay."

"Well, sugar, two is a lot for one cockpit. What can you offer me?"

I decided to ignore the 'sugar' part for now. "Fifty SnapCoins."

"You're going to need a lot more than that."

"Seventy is the best I can-"

"Shhh..." she put a finger to my lips. I could feel her cold skin, and her nail polish smelled faintly metallic. "You know what, sugar? I can tell where this is headed- your money's just not in my league. But there's more ways to pay than one, you know. How about you render me some... services... along the way, and I'll waive the fee. Sound good?"

A ride for free sounded too good to be true, even if it meant pleasuring her. "I'll do it," I said.

Stepping forward, she grabbed my cheek and kissed me. "Good choice, sweet thing. Hop in. We're ready to roll in five."

I presumed to get up on the truck's roof, then down the top hatch into the cockpit. There, I was reminded of the hovercraft I had just gotten rid of. Everything was black. At least the air smelled fresh.

I slid into the narrow space behind the single seat. About a minute and a half later, she came in, practically launching herself into the seat. In a dance that looked well-rehearsed, she disengaged the brakes, sent a message to someone and finally set the truck rolling. Its wheels, weighed down by some enormous load, got traction on the sand, and we rolled away from the freight yard. In minutes, there was nothing but red sand in sight.

"Time to hold up your end of the bargain," she said to me. "Why don't you sit down right here?" She patted the seat's right armrest.

I knelt beside the seat, and she looked dreamily over at me. Her cold fingers stroked my cheek, razor-sharp nails playing close to my skin. For minutes, she petted me with just her right hand, running through my hair and playing with my lips. She got everywhere.

"Yes..." she said slowly. "This was a good deal. Get over me, sugar. Sit on my lap. And face me. I want to see that pretty face."

I stood up, careful not to hit my head on the ceiling, and threw a leg over her. Before I was ready, she pulled me down onto her legs. Her hands worked in a frenzy, grabbing at shirt buttons that weren't there, then slipping under my hem. She murmured with approval as she felt my abs. I folded my arms over my head, palms on elbows, as she scrolled the shirt up my body, eyes devouring me piece by tiny piece. I straightened my arms so she could pull my shirt off.

"Wonderful," she breathed. "Now..." She unzipped her jeans, and I saw bare skin underneath, interrupted by a pink slit. "Do what you do."

I guessed that she wanted sex, but we had no condoms, so I knelt in front of her. I paused, looking up for her approval.

"Go on," she sang. "Show me that tongue."

Leaning down, I placed my tongue on her and felt heat- the first I had felt from her. Her muscles tightened, and her legs squeezed, crushing my head. Her hand gripped my hair, and I kept going. For minutes, I teased her, giving her little prods here and there, pausing for seconds and later minutes between each touch. When I sensed that she was getting used to it, I swept my tongue all the way up her slit, and she filled the cockpit with a moan. This girl was sensitive like I had never seen before.

"That's good," she said, trying and failing to keep her voice steady. "Just keep it like that, boy. Mm... you're a natural."

I considered pulling my mouth away to say 'thank you,' then thought better of it.

Something beeped. I looked up, seeing her press two fingers to her ear. "Yeah, Kambani?"

"Maya!" said a male voice on a radio. "Where are you?"

"Nothing."

I got a naughty idea and licked her.

She bit her lip. "I mean, I'm on my way back. I'm all loaded down, so it'll take me a while."

"Is someone in there with you?" asked the voice.

I grinned with mischief, then put my lips around her clitoris just as she spoke.

"I- - mmrh... no, I never take passengers." She let out a husky laugh. "You know that, don't you?"

"What are you doing in there?"

I sucked on her clit.

"O-oh! Ah, nothing." She grabbed me by the hair and pushed me away, barely restraining another moan. "Nothing. I'm just not comfortable. The heat vents..."

"I thought you already had the heat vents fixed."

"I did, but... look, just call me back."

Another beep, and the call ended.

"That was close," she said. "You're vicious, do you know that, sugar?"

I had not sucked very hard, but I kept that to myself. I responded with just a toothy smirk.

"You know what?" she said. "You're a little too eager. So here's the new deal. As soon as I cum, you have to walk the rest of the way."

I recoiled. Being abandoned could mean death if she left me in just the wrong place.

To my relief, she laughed. "Fine, maybe I won't dump you. But I'm not kidding about this: get back to work." Her irresistible hand pushed me back into her womanhood, and I kept going.

The time melted away, until I felt the vehicle slow down. Somehow, had I spent the entire trip at her feet, servicing her without making her cum. I started to think I was better at this than I realized.

"Whew," she said. "That's enough. Good job, boy."

I clenched her zipper between my teeth and slowly zipped her jeans shut. She giggled and tousled my hair, then handed me my shirt. As soon as it was on, she grabbed me by the collar and pulled me up. She popped out the top hatch and brought me up after her.

The city stood ahead. Great black and white monoliths rose from the redness, some of them covering whole blocks and some of them bending over streets. Tramways and simple catwalks flew between them, and vines grew freely from the street sides, tangling themselves around the wire netting that reached down from the suspension bridges in the upper levels.

"Well?" said Maya. "What are you waiting for?" She spanked me through my thin shorts. "Get out there. And good luck."

I jumped off the truck. I looked back, trying to get a read on who she was beneath her smile and lust, but she was already back inside her truck. There was nothing else to do; I went into the city.

The city looked and sounded new. It even felt new. But most of what I had learned from browsing the gigantic department store back home applied here too. I moved slowly through the roiling, warmly dressed foot traffic, making no sudden movements so I would not hit anybody. I followed address numbers and looked at marquees, trying to figure out where the district lines were drawn. I started out looking for a home, then decided that I needed to find a place to work first. I had a lot of money, but my life on the farm had taught me that money always runs out faster than you think it will.

I spotted a cheap grocery store that said, 'now hiring' on the door and ducked in. "Hello?" I said to the receptionist. "May I apply for a job interview?"

The man looked up, and a cheap, bulky plastic bionic eye whirred as it focused on me. I recoiled; I hadn't been fully prepared for the city after all.

"Wait outside," said the man. "The boss'll see you in a bit."

Trusting that 'a bit' was less than an hour, I sat down outside the building, watching the sky turn to night. I wanted desperately to explore, but it would be irresponsible to leave the storefront.

"Mister," said a voice from the door. "We're ready to interview you."

Finally!

Inside, I sat down in front of a woman whose broad-brimmed hat was tipped so low that it concealed her face.

"Good evening," I said, offering my hand.

"Good evening," said a hoarse, powerful voice. "Don't shake my hand. Stand up and strip."

"What? Strip?! But this isn't the strip club! This is the gas station! I mean, the grocer's..." I was not acquitting myself well.