White Noise 2: Mr. Foster's Story
by z119z
I
Many of our units begin as walk-ins. They pass by the store, the window displays catch their eye, and they come in to satisfy their curiosity. Others, like Mark Simmons, who simply wanted a good night’s sleep, see our ad in the Yellow Pages and visit the store to buy a specific product. Occasionally we take on a special project and program someone brought to us by a client. I find this unsatisfactory, however. First, it is less of a challenge, and the challenge of bringing a unit under control and developing it is part of the reward for me. Second, as I explain to those who bring a subject to us for programming, our own units are selected for development only after a rigorous inspection to ensure their susceptibility and trainability. We select for final training perhaps only one out of a hundred of those we consider as candidates. We cannot guarantee a unit that has not undergone this inspection process and the full training program.
Many of our richer clients seem to feel that they can bring in a trophy wife or a boy toy and have us wave a magic wand to make them compliant and obedient. But, as I tell them, we can work only with the raw materials provided; the better the quality of the input, the better the quality of the output. If you could see some of the airheads I have been asked to work with, you would understand . . . But I digress. My apologies for becoming so heated. As you can tell, it upsets me to provide less than the best. I regard these commissioned objects as highly unsatisfactory, indeed failures.
Of course, our units are expensive. They are the products of a substantial investment of time and money. And we guarantee satisfaction. Perhaps if I explain the process, you will understand why we charge so much. Mark Simmons, the unit you met, can serve as an example.
Mark came to us looking for a white noise machine. If memory serves, he had a noisy neighbor who was disturbing his sleep. He fit all of our basic selection criteria--he was in his mid-twenties, in good shape and apparent good health. He was--well, he still is, of course--about 5 feet 7. Attractive but not model-quality. An intriguing face rather than a handsome one. Curly brown hair, clean-shaven. It was a Saturday and he was dressed casually, but one got the impression that clothes and grooming were not high on his list of priorities. If necessary, such matters are easily fixed, however. The basic personality qualities and good looks are enough of a platform on which to build a unit. As long as those are present, we can touch up the unit and polish it to make it more presentable.
Mark was unmarried (a quick look at his ring finger confirmed this). The way he checked out my handsome assistant Jeff and his brief look of disappointment when I offered to help him made me suspect that he was gay. Clearly Mark would have preferred Jeff to wait on him, but he covered his disappointment quickly and responded politely--another good sign. (I should explain that we stock units of all sexual persuasions; we could program for sexual preference, but it is easier to develop a unit along the lines of his or her natural inclinations rather than seek to change them.) Perhaps this is only hindsight, but I had an immediate impression of vulnerability. Something about the way he presented himself suggested a certain diffidence and passivity. Of course, these are all pluses for our purposes. These personality traits are common in very suggestible people. And, like most successful people, our customers are very demanding and aggressive, and they see the opposite characteristics as attractive qualities in a unit.
White noise machines are only one of the ways that we gain entrance to a unit’s mind. We also have relaxation tapes, crystals, self-improvement tapes--a whole gamut of devices that lower resistance and make it possible for us to test the unit and to begin developing the more promising ones. We vary the initial parts of the process depending on the applicant’s purchase. We have both regular and modified versions of each of these objects. Most customers leave the store with the regular version. A select few are given a special gift, although they do not realize it at the time.
I showed Mark our Sandman 2100 white noise machine. In the course of demonstrating the machine, I elicited the information from Mark that he lived alone. I always use the excuse of fitting the machine to the particular circumstances of the purchaser to gather such information. Of course, promising candidates always get a modified Sandman 2100, but I vary my spiel. For those who live alone, I emphasize that it covers most of the noise; for those with a roommate, it’s “This won’t disturb your roommate, especially if you close your door. He (or she) won’t be able to hear you, and you won’t be able to hear him.”
The regular version of the Sandman 2100 is an excellent white noise machine. The machine itself is round, about four inches in diameter at the base and three inches high. It tapers slightly toward the top. The casing is made of white plastic. Turning the casing opens or closes slits in the side of the machine and the top to control the level of the sound. A rocker switch allows one to set the basic sound output at a low or a high level. Together these two features let one adjust the sound level. The sound is rather like that produced by an air filter or a hair dryer. The output is very steady and regular and masks other sounds. The Sandman 2100 does everything such a machine is supposed to do and does it very well. In fact, the day that Mark first came to us, another customer was in the store, and she bought one of the units when I demonstrated it for Mark. She also provided a good excuse for me to visit the storeroom to pick up one of the modified versions of the Sandman 2100. I don’t remember exactly what I told Mark, but to prevent accidental sales we do not keep the special versions of the Sandman out front. The normal version comes in a blue box, and the modified version in a red box. I assure you, however, that it would do no harm if a non-applicant received the modified version. The modified version merely initiates the training process. It does not complete it. However, I am loathe to waste the modified versions on unpromising candidates. Besides the expense, it is a waste of a good unit.
I intentionally took my time finding the unit for Mark. I could hear Jeff finish with his customer and then begin talking with Mark. Jeff had caught my signal that I was interested in testing this customer and was getting one of the modified Sandman units. Jeff is an irreplaceable asset to Foster’s Sandman Shop. He is a natural hypnotist. He seems to read body language so accurately that he can adjust his conversation to the subject and induce a trance so naturally that the subject doesn’t even realize where he or she is being led. It doesn’t hurt that he is so attractive either. That seems to overcome resistance in many subjects. Many people find that they want to please Jeff and earn a word of praise from him. I quickly found a modified version of the Sandman in the back room, but I could hear Jeff show Mark a crystal and begin demonstrating how it could be used to relax the mind and focus attention. From the flow of his conversation, I could tell that Mark was succumbing to Jeff’s efforts.
“You hang this at around eye level and then focus on it while you meditate. It helps clear the mind. There’s nothing magic about it. It’s just a tool. You can see that the crystal is very clear. You just stare at it and then relax your thoughts and make the mind as clear and as pure as the crystal as you focus on it.” I’ve seen Jeff do this often. He holds the crystal at eye level and swings it slowly back and forth. His own eyes follow the crystal as he demonstrates how to use it. The subject inevitably matches his action and begin watching the crystal swing back and forth. And as Jeff speaks, he lowers his voice, both in pitch and volume. This forces the subject to concentrate on what he is saying.
Mark said something at that point that I didn’t catch. Jeff replied, “That’s all right, Sir. It can be used to help you relax. It’s good practice just to concentrate on it and then relax. It helps to remove tension and prepares you for whatever task you want to focus on. Many people use it just to train themselves to have better concentration.”
I prayed that no one else would walk into the shop. This is a very exciting part of the process--when a candidate comes into the store and the preliminary tests are promising, I feel what a hunter must feel when he sees fresh tracks. The challenge of the seduction is such a thrill. Will this person turn out to be prime material? Will we be able to ensnare him? To train him? To convert him?
In Mark’s case, the preliminary signs were extremely encouraging. “Many people find that just looking at the crystal helps them relax. They come in all sizes. Some people use large, stationary ones; other prefer to watch the crystal move back and forth. They find that focusing on the motion tires their eyes. Some people even tell me that their eyes become so heavy and tired just watching the crystal that they nod off. But most people just notice that the crystal catches the light. It shimmers so, always changing. It is so hard to take your eyes off of it. It becomes so relaxing. It’s just so easy to watch the crystal and let it sparkle as it swings. So relaxing just to watch it. So easy just to focus on it. So easy just to clear your mind and relax.”
Jeff’s soft voice continued along these lines, repeating the words “relax,” “focus,” “watch” over and over. Mark made no sound. At that point I dare not risk a look in case the sound and motion disturbed him, but I need not have worried. Jeff must have felt that the trance was proceeding well, because he soon made a further suggestion. “We have a larger crystal set up on a table in back. Come with me, and I will demonstrate it for you.”
Jeff led Mark into the back room and had him sit in a chair at a table on which we have set up a large clear crystal underneath a soft light. When the other lights in the room are out, the crystal glows with light. Jeff continued suggesting that Mark focus his attention on the crystal and relax. Soon Mark was struggling to keep his eyes open, and when Jeff suggested that he just relax and close them and let himself sleep, Mark quickly complied. Jeff took him deeper asleep. All the tests showed that Mark was in a deep trance and highly open to suggestions. Jeff then began to implant the suggestions that Mark wanted to use the Sandman machine faithfully every day, that he would find it extremely pleasurable and rewarding, that he felt very relaxed and comfortable listening to Jeff, and that he would not remember anything that happened after Jeff began showing him the crystals. Jeff gave me the thumbs-up sign as he repeated the suggestions. I must admit that I felt a rush of excitement. It is always promising when the initial session goes so well.
I returned to the front of the shop. Luckily it was almost closing time. The back of our display windows are covered and conceal the inside of the shop. I locked the front door and pulled down the shade. No passer-by would interrupt us.
The preliminary trances are best kept short and simple. If the candidate proves worthy of further attention, there will be time enough for more extensive sessions. Jeff soon brought Mark out of the back room and positioned him in front of the crystal display case. Under Jeff’s guidance, Mark soon returned to full consciousness, convinced that only a short time had elapsed.
While I completed the sale, Jeff had him fill out a customer questionnaire to get his name and contact information. Mark also paid by credit card, which gave us some valuable bits of information on him. Mark appeared to be relaxed and happy, although he was visibly disoriented when he realized that it had gotten dark outside. He recovered quickly, however--Jeff had suggested that he take anything that appeared to be out of the usual in stride.
II
Armed with the information we had obtained on Mark, I was able to commission a report on him. He was 25, and, as he had told us, he lived alone. He had majored in history at one of the small liberal arts colleges upstate and gotten excellent grades. He was employed as a mid-level employee at a large banking firm. He had begun as a trainee and steadily received what appeared to be promotions. His parents were divorced. His father lived in California and was in contact only sporadically. His mother had remarried and moved to Atlanta. Mark had some friends, but no one who seemed particularly close. He was gay but not active. He had no debts. Like many young people who come to the city, he seemed to be reveling in the freedom of being without relationships and demands on his emotions and time. He had no family nearby, and to all appearances, he was friendly but not close with either of his parents. He was rated a good employee, but the bank would not think twice if he resigned because he had gotten a better job elsewhere. His employers would find it easy to replace him. He had friends but they were more acquaintances than intimates. If he proved suitable and we removed him to our training center for conditioning, they might miss him for a week or so but would soon forget him.
All of this was very promising, but the harder tests of his suitability lay ahead. How malleable was he?
We allowed him two weeks with the basic Sandman program. We advise purchasers to begin with the volume set low, and as they grow accustomed to the sound, to increase it gradually until the unit is being used at the highest settings. The modified versions have built-in sensors that allow us to monitor use. Mark tried the unit that night and continued to use it every night. Within three days, he had turned up the volume to the highest level. We then began a program of broadcasting subliminal messages through the machine. Nothing fancy at first, just suggestions that he found the unit very effective, that he was sleeping very deeply, and that he enjoyed using the machine. Several hundred times a night, he heard the message, “You enjoy using the Sandman. It makes you feel so very good. You feel so relaxed. You are so deeply asleep. Just listen to the waves of sound and relax. It feels so good just to relax and sleep. Just listen and relax.” Over and over the message played into his room. We impose a low binaural beat beneath the basic sound of the Sandman unit and the message. It’s amazing to watch this at work. The subject’s breathing soon slows to the pace of the binaural wave. I’m told that studies have shown that heartbeat and even the brain waves come to match the rhythm of the binaural waves. We have found them an extremely effective tool.
Another effective tool is the internet. It allows us to introduce material into the subject’s space. Two weeks after he began using the machine, Jeff sent Mark a customer survey by email ostensibly to elicit information on his use of the machine. Of course, we knew from our monitoring that Mark was using the Sandman unit. Mark reported that he was highly satisfied with the unit, and his comments were a glowing testimony to its effectiveness. He had “never had a better night’s sleep”; he “felt wonderful in the morning.” He was turning the machine on as soon as he arrived home and turned it off only when he left. Jeff thanked him for his reply, said that he was glad he found the unit so good, and then, casually, as if it were an afterthought, asked whether Mark was using the blue crystal.
That night we introduced a new note into the unit’s subliminal message, a blue note you might call it. In addition to the messages about listening and relaxing, we added the thought that he should watch the crystal. It would help him relax. As he watched the crystal, he would feel so tired, and his body would feel so heavy. He would feel so warm and so comfortable and so safe, so clear, so empty, so relaxed. so wonderful.
Although Mark did not realize it, he soon came to associate the sound of the Sandman unit, the binaural wave, the faint voice coming through the machine, and the blue crystal with feelings of pleasure and relaxation. He was being programmed to accept the suggestions that came through these channels and to find them very easy to accept, very easy to follow.
One can only do so much with subliminal suggestions, however. So far, we had been successful. The real training could begin. Imagine that you have purchased a reliable product in a shop and met a pleasant clerk. You receive friendly emails from him with enquiries after your well-being and your satisfaction with the product he sold you. One day, you come home to find an email with a link to a website and the note “I think you will enjoy this.” You click on the link and find an announcement of a new product, a concentration program designed to improve your performance both professionally and personally. A video presentation begins, and a handsome young man (or an attractive young woman--it depends on your preferences) invites you to sit back, relax, and just watch the screen for a few minutes. You are asked to turn off the lights in the room and then make yourself comfortable and just watch the screen. A subtle pulsation in the intensity of the colors on the screen begins, a slow blurring of the images and then a gradual resharpening of them, that pulls you into the screen and makes you concentrate. A soft, pleasant voice suggests that you focus on the middle of the screen. Images float across the screen, barely discernable against the background. The colors fade to be replaced by an eddying swirl of soft blue, much like the color of the sky on a summer’s day. The voice suggests that you imagine yourself lying on a beach. The sand is so warm beneath your body. It is firm yet yielding and cradles your body as it sinks halfway into the warm sand. The sun shines softly on your body, warming it and relaxing it. A soft breeze plays across you. In the distance you hear the sound of the waves falling on the beach. You see a picture of the water surging up onto the sand, foaming and rushing up, hissing and bubbling as it crests and then recedes. The sand wet and then drying out as the water sinks into it before the next wave comes in. In the distance a bird calls out. The sun penetrates your body, warming you down to the center of your bones. Your body just relaxes, your muscles melting in the sun, so comfortable, so warm, so relaxed, so tired. Just listen to the waves and watch the bird gliding on the wind. Watch how the bird rises and falls on the wind, with barely a movement of its wings, tilting to the left and to the right to catch the currents of the wind. So free, so effortless, just borne by the wind, rising and falling on the wind. So warm so comfortable so relaxed so tired so free. So warm so comfortable so relaxed so tired so free so at peace. You feel so wonderful. Just watch the bird and let yourself float on the wind. So free so at peace so relaxed just borne up by the wind warm in the sun. Just listen to the voice and watch the blue crystal as it catches the light. So warm so comfortable so at peace so safe so tired so relaxed. Just listen to the voice and watch the blue crystal on the screen. Watch it revolve, watch it catch the light.
Mark sat in front of his computer for three hours that night, listening to that message over and over. At the end of that time, we terminated the session and sent him a message to go to bed. He would repeat these sessions for the next several weeks. Gradually we would introduce other ideas.
III
Once we know that we have a good subject, we have to determine certain things and, as necessary, take steps to improve the unit. The first priority is a physical to determine the state of the applicant’s health. We sent Mark a message through the computer video instructing him to call a certain number and make an appointment for a physical checkup as part of a job application. The doctor is one of our clients, and the unit he purchased serves, among other things, as his office manager. As far as the doctor would know, the checkup would be a legitimate one. The office manager would make sure that we received copies of all the test results. Mark made the appointment as instructed, and we sent him a form to mail the doctor ahead of time with the specific questions we wanted answered. The physical is rather more extensive than the usual one a healthy 25-year-old might receive, but in order to guarantee that our units will function properly, we need to know much more about them. And, of course, we have to be able to certify that a unit is free of sexually transmitted diseases. The examination is not, however, that much different from those required by many large companies. Part of our quality control is delivering a unit that is disease and drug free, in excellent physical shape, and, as far as the good doctor can predict, unlikely to develop health problems. I am happy to report that Mark passed on all counts.
There was only one negative note from the doctor. He reported on the form that he had advised Mark to get more physical exercise. Physical training is, of course, part of our regular preparation of the units. Many of the units are already members of health clubs and work out regularly. Others, like Mark, for example, have been neglectful of their body. One of the more successful parts of Sandman Enterprises is a health club. Much of its success can be attributed to its manager, Joe, and his motivational skills. The members of the Midtown Health Club just seem to take so much pleasure in performing well for Joe. The club is not large, and the membership is limited. In fact all the members are either Sandman units in training or currently operating units. Part of our monthly service fee covers membership in the health club, and our clients are happy to pay for their unit’s participation. With a limited numbers of members, Joe can devote a great amount of attention to each of them. The results, as they say, “speak for themselves.”
Joe himself is one of our units. Like many of our units, Joe works and earns a substantial income, which he turns over to his owners, in his case a married couple. I hear that they are quite proud of his accomplishments and often boast of their “protégé’s” success. Physically, Joe is superb. He is also a charming and an extremely engaging young man. He just seems to exude physical and psychological warmth. People like Joe and want him to like them. He is a credit to our training.
We sent a message to Mark through his regular evening computer session. His conditioning to that point had linked watching the program with strong feelings of pleasure. We had begun to introduce the notion that complying with the suggestions that came through the screen resulted in a wave of pleasure passing through his body. His immediate compliance with our instructions that he get a physical and that he send our questionnaire to the doctor and his willingness to go along with the idea that the physical was part of a job application demonstrated that the conditioning was working. We now began to reinforce the doctor’s comment that he needed to get more exercise. As he watched the training video, an attractive young man began to work out. The voice that accompanied the video repeated over and over: “You will feel much much better if you exercise. Exercise will make you feel wonderful. Watch the man’s biceps. Watch how they move up and down as he exercises. Feel yourself performing the same exercise. Your biceps move smoothly up and down, up and down so smoothly. A wonderful warmth spreads throughout your entire body as you exercise. You feel so energized, so aroused. The doctor has told you to exercise with Joe. Joe will help you. Joe will make you feel so good. You want to work out with Joe. Joe will help you. Joe will make you feel so good. You want to work out with Joe. Keep watching the biceps move up and down. You want to please Joe. Pleasing Joe is very important to you. Joe at 22 Silver Avenue. . . .”
We repeated variations on this message several times. As Mark slept, the Sandman unit also stressed the importance of exercising and pleasing Joe. Mark was proving a quick learner. He stopped by the health club the next day to schedule an appointment with Joe.
IV
“Mark, glad to meet you!” Joe was beaming with pleasure, as he shook Mark’s hand. The force of his warmth felt like a wave of pleasure passing through Mark’s body. “So you’re thinking of working out a bit.”
“Well, it’s kind of embarrassing to be so out of shape, especially when I see all the great bodies here.”
“Now, Mark, don’t be intimidated by them. They weren’t born with these bodies. If they can build themselves up, so can you. It just takes a lot of hard work and concentration to achieve a body like that.” Joe pointed to a tall, well-built male surrounded by a weight machine. A bar attached to wires that passed through a complex system of pulleys with stacks of weights on the ends rested on his shoulders. As Mark watched, he squatted on the floor, pulling down on the bar and lifting a stack of heavy weights off the floor. As he pushed up against the bar with his thighs, another stack of weights rose from the floor. His thigh muscles bulged and shifted beneath his skin as he repeated the exercise over and over, his eyes focused on a distant spot only he could see.
“Why don’t you come into my office, and we’ll develop a program for you.” Joe led Mark into his private workout room. Besides the usual desk and computer and other office equipment, the room was equipped with several weight machines, a collection of barbells, a stationary bike, and a running track. One long wall was covered with a mirror. Jeff and I were seated behind the mirror.
“Why don’t you strip to your shorts, Mark?” Mark looked around for a place to change. Joe grinned at him. “You’ll have to get over your modesty in here, guy. This is a place for bodies. Get used to showing yours.” Mark shrugged. He turned his back to Joe, knelt down and pulled a pair of red gym shorts and a jock strap from his bag. He quickly took off his shoes and slipped off his jeans. He hesitated a bit before pulling off his briefs. Once they were off, he quickly pulled on the supporter and shorts. When he turned around, Joe said, “And the shirt too.” Mark pulled it over his head and put it with his other clothes.
Jeff leaned forward in his chair to get a better look. “We should preserve that air of modesty, don’t you think? Some clients would find that charming and boyish.”
“Yes, but Joe has his work cut out for him.” Basically Mark had a trim body, but it was lacking in muscle tone and definition. Another few years without our intervention, and he definitely would have been badly out of shape.
Joe walked around Mark, carefully examining him from all sides. “Height?” he asked.
“5 feet 7.”
“Weight?
“165.”
“What sort of exercise do you get now? Do you jog?”
“I haven’t worked out since college. That was three years ago”
“Now, I going to touch you a bit to gauge your muscle tone. Make a fist and push against my hand.” Joe held up his palm. As Mark did as he had been told, Joe examined the play of muscles in his arms and upper chest. “Keep doing that. I’m going to touch your arms and torso. Just focus on my chest and keep pushing against my hand.” Mark did as instructed, his eyes focusing on the blue crystal that hung between Joe’s pecs.
“Put your hand down, Mark.” Joe stood close to Mark. a hand resting on Mark’s shoulder, gently kneading it. “You have some work to do. But you’re going to do some hard work for me, aren’t you? You will enjoy working hard for me.”
Both Jeff and I were holding our breath at that point. Mark’s answer would determine how successful our training to that point had been. We needn’t have worried. Joe in action is a beautiful thing to watch. Physical presence, warmth, charm, sex appeal--all combine to make the subject anxious to please. In fact, “resistance is futile,” as the Borg said. The look of hunger on Mark’s face was answer enough. The choked “yes” that he managed to sputter out was superfluous.
“Great. You won’t regret this, Mark.” Joe gave Mark’s shoulder a quick squeeze. “Now, let’s get started, guy. We’re going to begin by warming up. Always do this. Stand beside me and watch yourself in the mirror. Just do what I do.” As Joe led Mark through a series of stretches, Jeff and I compared notes on his body. “He’s got that ‘boy next door’ look. We should aim for a nicely muscled hard body, but not a large one, don’t you think?”
“Yes, this one isn’t the bodybuilder type. Boyish, as you said. Let’s get Joe to develop that quality. What do you think--larger thighs and a more rounded butt?”
“Yes, and maybe two to three inches more around the chest.”
“ Luckily for us, he is hairless. That will help with the boyish image.”
“Hair needs to be shorter. Sort of like a brown helmet covering his scalp.”
“Hmm, maybe. Get Erik to take a look at him and see what he thinks.”
Joe finished the series of warm-up exercises. “Now, I want to show you how to do exercises properly. It’s not just a matter of lifting the weights. You have to concentrate and focus on the muscle you are working on. The lift has to start in the brain, and then the muscle acts. Let me call someone in to show you.”
Joe opened the door to his office and looked around the gym. “David, will you step in here a moment?”
I was a bit surprised at Joe’s choice. David is physically one of our most imposing units. Tall, incredibly well developed, he tends to overawe most people. Even I find that he makes me feel a bit uncomfortable, and I trained him. There is so much power and strength in his body that I sometimes forget how docile he has become under our control. He is one of our “trophy boys.” Because of our conditioning, David is completely devoted to his owner. And his owner is completely satisfied with David. This client wanted a bodybuilder and paid a premium for David. I must say that he has been happy with his choice. Well, what lover of huge bodies wouldn’t be? A naked hunk whose only thought is to please you, who moans with anticipation when you approach him? A low maintenance, undemanding, sweet guy who thinks of nothing but pleasuring you and has the physical training to control every muscle in his body.
“Mark, this is David. David has an incredible ability to focus on his workout. I want you to develop the same ability. It will require some work from you, but you can do it.
“Let’s start with some stomach exercises. David, if you will lie down on the mat. Now Mark, kneel down here. Look at the stomach muscles. You see how they run from here to here. Now, the point of the exercise is to work the muscles by contracting them. You pull against both ends and lift the upper torso by contracting the stomach muscles. What you don’t want to do is to use the neck or chest or back muscles to lift the torso. Make the stomach muscles do the work. And you do that by focusing your mind on these muscles. Your mind sees the muscles contracting and then you make it happen. Now, watch David. Hands locked behind your neck. Elbows pointed straight out, the arms straight out from the body. Don’t bring them up around your face. Straight out. Put your hands here and here.” Joe positioned Mark’s hands beneath David’s rib cage and just above his groin. “Now watch David as he contracts these muscles. Feel what happens beneath your hands. Don’t by shy, guy. David’s here to help you. Go ahead. He’s not going to mind if you touch him.”
Mark looked rather sheepish as he knelt beside David and positioned his hands on David’s body. David grinned at Mark and pushed down on Mark’s hands to press them firmly against his body. “Go ahead, Mark. I like being touched.”
“When you’re ready, David.” The smile that had been on David’s face as he watched Mark gingerly touch him vanished to be replaced by a blank stare. David was totally focused on what he was about to do. As we watched, his upper body lifted off the mat smoothly. “Now, you want to do this slowly. Don’t rush it. Make the muscles work. Notice how on the release, David just doesn’t relax and let his body fall back to the floor. He works the muscles on the way down too. Can you feel how they work? David, do another one and then we’ll have Mark do some.”
Joe had Mark trade places with David. Mark looked so small next to the two of them. Joe knelt behind Mark’s head and had David position his hands on Mark’s body to mark the upper and lower ends of the stomach muscles. “Now, I want you to focus on your stomach muscles. Feel where David’s hands are. In your mind’s eyes, see the muscle and bring the two ends closer together. That’s all you have to do. Focus on the muscle. Bring the two ends closer together. Visualize David’s hands and see yourself bringing them closer together.”
Mark was facing the mirror, directly in front of where we were sitting. As he contracted his stomach muscles, his head and shoulders lifted. As he stared into the mirror, he would have seen what we could see--the blue crystal resting between Joe’s pecs. He had had enough training at this point to feel a rush of pleasure and well-being every time he saw the blue crystal and to associate the crystal with focusing and concentrating. “Good, Mark, good. That’s terrific. Now let’s do another one.”
Joe and David helped Mark exercise several muscle groups that day. As Joe was arranging Mark’s future visits, David said, “Mark, I’ll come in and help you for the first few days. Would you like that?” Mark’s look of adoration was answer enough.
Sometimes the units surprise me and exceed my expectations. Definitely alpha-plus performance from Joe and David that day. They proved once again that seduction is one of the universe’s strong forces. “Arrange a reward for both of them, Jeff.”
V
We had one other pressing matter at this point in Mark’s training. We knew from his physical exam that he was drug and disease free. We had to make sure that he stayed that way. Mark had a normal libido for a twenty-five-year-old, which is to say that he became horny frequently. We couldn’t risk having him run around on his own, finding sexual partners. Also we needed him available several hours every day for his mental and physical conditioning. If he was like most young men his age, his technique would need improving as well. The most efficient way to satisfy his sex drive safely and within our schedule and to improve his skills was to provide a partner for him. Enter Matt Wolf. Matt’s owner is a voyeur. He loves to watch Matt having sex. And Matt is a superior lover. Under his tutelage, Mark’s technique would improve, and Mark would be sexually satisfied. Matt’s owner would be happy, and Matt would have the fulfillment he craved of pleasing his owner. So twice a week, Matt and his owner began to visit Mark’s apartment. Mark had been instructed not to realize the owner was watching him and Matt make out. Well “make out” is too crude a term for what Matt does. Once, when Jeff had earned a bonus, he asked to experience Matt; in Jeff’s words, it was a “sublime reward.” He was extremely cheerful for the next few days. After a month of sessions, the owner reported that Mark had quickly left the stage of being a willing but unskilled neophyte and anxious learner behind and achieved a certain level of competence. Further progress in this area would have to await the next stage of his conditioning, when I began Mark’s personal training.
VI
The previous trainee had reached the point that I could put her on a maintenance schedule until she was sold, and I now had the time free to devote to Mark. So far Mark had been conditioned to link pleasure and a sense of well-being and contentment with gazing at the blue crystal and with following our suggestions. The next step was full conversion into one of our units ready for the market.
Perhaps I am overly punctilious, perhaps it just serves to salve my conscience, but I always invite the applicant to choose whether to proceed with the training. So far, none of them has declined the invitation to continue the transformation. So, like all applicants who have reached this stage, Mark received a formal invitation in the mail to join a special evening meeting at Foster’s Sandman Shop. Needless to say, if he accepted, he would be the only “guest” at the meeting. And accept he did, with alacrity. Most likely Mark did not realize that his phone call to me was a landmark moment in his life. He had just made his last independent decision.
Mark arrived on time. By a fortunate coincidence, it was a cold, rainy night. That made the interior of our shop seem even warmer and more inviting. If Mark was surprised to find himself the only person besides me and Jeff present, he said nothing. I led him into the back room. The room was lit only by a dim lamp in a far corner. We had positioned a round table in the middle of the room and placed a large blue crystal on it so that it caught the light and focused it. We had Mark sit in a chair facing the crystal, with the lamp off to the side. That way he saw only the crystal glowing with an inner light against a dark background. I had turned on a Sandman 2100 unit; by now Mark strongly associated the machine with relaxation and sleep. It also covered up all street noises.
“Take a moment to make yourself comfortable, Mark. Just close your eyes for a few seconds and relax. You know how to relax. You have done this many times. Just imagine yourself at the beach, the sound of the waves in the background, the bird floating in the air against the blue sky. Open your mind and just let my words sink gently into it.” I took Mark through the familiar sequence of imagining his body melting in the warm sun and then floating on the wind. His body relaxed quickly and soon he was deeply entranced.
“Now, Mark, in a minute I am going to count ‘one, two, three.’ When I reach the number ‘three,’ your eyelids will drift open. Just gently open by themselves when I say ‘three.’ But even though your eyes are open, your body will remain deeply relaxed. I will continue to speak. Just rest your focus on what I am saying and follow along. As I speak, you will feel very warm and comfortable, very relaxed. Just follow my words and let yourself do what I say. My voice makes you feel so relaxed and comfortable, so warm, so safe. Just follow along and let my voice guide you.
“Now I am going to count to three, and when I say ‘three,’ your eyelids will open gently. One. Two. Three. Your eyelids drift open. You feel so relaxed and so comfortable. Just rest your eyes on the crystal. That’s all you have to do. Just look at the crystal. Focus on it. Just relax and focus on it. It is so beautiful. It’s so easy just to look at it. Notice how it catches the light. It is so deep, so welcoming. Just relax and focus on it. Let yourself just enter the crystal and become part of it. Empty, calm, serene. There is only the peace and warmth and comfort of the crystal filling your mind now. Nothing else. Just listen to my voice and gaze deeply into the crystal. You have done very well so far, Mark, but now it is important that you do even better. The desire to become a servant of the crystal is so strong within you now, Mark, you want to merge with it and become part of it. Empty, calm, serene, wanting to please in all ways, Mark. Every time you look at a blue crystal, this feeling will return to you. It will be so important to please and obey the person holding the crystal. You will devote all your energies to pleasing and obeying that person, Mark. Your own mind, your own desires, cease to be important. They are obliterated now. Pleasing, obeying, satisfying the holder of the blue crystal, that is all you can think of. Those thoughts fill your mind now. Just pleasing, obeying, satisfying the person holding the blue crystal. . . .”
I continued in this vein for several minutes, reinforcing the link between the blue crystal and Mark’s desire to please. The next part of the session was a test of our control over both his body and his mind, as well as an important step in training him to associate rewards with obedience and submission. I don’t need to tell you that sexual pleasure is one of the strongest physical and psychological forces. We had conditioned Mark to feel pleasure in compliance. Now we would begin the process of turning that pleasure into a tool of control.
“Mark, you will stand up. Jeff will help you undress. Just let Jeff undress you. You are so comfortable, so warm, so relaxed. Just listen to my words and follow along with me. Just rest your eyes on the crystal and relax. So warm, so relaxed. Just follow along. Jeff has unlaced your shoes, raise your right foot and let him remove that shoe. Now your left foot. Good, Mark, So good. Just relax and listen to my voice.” We undressed Mark completely. Other than moving his arms and legs briefly to allow his jeans and shirt to be removed, he remained still and quiet, his attention focused entirely on the crystal. When Jeff started to pull his T-shirt off, he raised his arms without hesitation. His briefs and socks followed. Even in that darkened room, the improvement in his physique was apparent. Joe had done well.
“Now, Mark, I want you to look at the crystal. Your mind is as clear and empty as that crystal. My words fill your mind. They are the only thoughts in your mind now. And it feels so good to have my words fill your mind and body. Your body is so relaxed. It is frozen in place. You feel so good. It is so peaceful and warm and comfortable just to stand there, motionless. We are very pleased with you, Mark. Just continue to listen to my voice and follow along.
“Your nipples become more and more sensitive with every word I say. They become more and more sensitive as my words fill you. The more you empty your mind, the more sensitive your nipples become. The more you stand frozen, the more sensitive your nipples become. Even the motion of the air across your nipples makes you feel so good. So good, so empty, so relaxed, so good.
“Now, as Jeff strokes your nipples, a warm, pleasant, wonderful sensation fills your chest. It feels so good. Just relax and let the feeling spread throughout your entire body. It feels so good just to relax and let this feeling spread throughout your entire body. Your chest, your stomach, your arms, your legs, your entire body warm and comfortable. A wave of pleasure filling your entire body. And that pleasure gets stronger and stronger the more you relax, the more frozen your body becomes. We are very pleased with your obedience, Mark, and this is your reward. The more obedient you become, the more pleasures we will give you. The more obedient you become, the stronger the pleasures you will receive. It’s so easy to be obedient and let the waves of pleasure fill you. So pleasant, so safe, so warm, so relaxed.
“Now I will show you the rewards of obedience and submission, Mark. As Jeff strokes your nipples, your groin grows hotter and hotter. Your entire body is frozen, your eyes glued to the crystal, but now your cock begins to grow harder and harder. The pleasure you feel as Jeff strokes your nipples is now concentrated in your cock. It becomes erect. It has never been so erect before. It is so hard. It feels so wonderful. You have never felt this good before. In a moment, I am going to count backwards from ten to one. When I reach one, you will have an orgasm, the best orgasm you have ever had in your life. But the only way that you can have this orgasm is to submit to me and obey me. Only through submission and obedience can you have an orgasm. You feel so good. The pressure is building inside your cock. You want to have an orgasm. And you will have an orgasm by submitting to me and obeying me.
“Ten. The pleasure is growing and growing as Jeff strokes your nipples. Your entire body is hard and rigid. You cannot move. Listen to my words as they guide you to the ultimate orgasm.
“Nine. You feel so good. Obedience and submission make you feel so good. Your entire body is filled with pleasure. Your cock is hard and rigid.
“Eight. The feelings grow more and more intense. Your body is rigid. You feel nothing but the force of the waves of pleasure that come from Jeff’s fingers as they stroke your nipples. The pleasure flows to your cock and makes it harder and harder.
“Seven. You can feel the cum rising in your cock. It feels like you are about to explode in an orgasm. Your entire mind and body are focused on the feelings in your cock. The feelings grow stronger and stronger, and when I say the final number, your body will orgasm. Your entire body, Your entire mind. All of you will orgasm. The strongest orgasm in your life.
“Six. The feeling in your cock is so intense. You think only of orgasm. The pleasures of submission and obedience. Only through obedience can you feel this way. Only submission makes you feel this good. Only submission and obedience can make you experience orgasm now.
“Five. Submit and obey. Feel the orgasm building in your body as you submit and obey.
“Four. The feelings stronger and stronger. Your entire body rigid. You cannot move. Focus on the feelings in your cock. You have never felt this good before. Only obedience and submission can make you feel this good.
“Three. You are getting closer and closer to orgasm. When you cum, you will immediately relax. Your body will collapse into a state of total obedience and submission. Jeff will support you. Jeff will hold you. Obedience and submission are your only thoughts now. You think only of obeying and submitting.
“Two. Almost there. Obedience. Submission. Orgasm. Feel the cum rising in your cock. It is at the tip of your penis. You will cum when I say the next number. Think only of obedience and submission and orgasm.
“One.”
As commanded, Mark exploded in an orgasm. His body slumped into Jeff’s arms as the cum spurted out of him. “Sleep, Mark. You are so tired. Just sleep. We are very happy with you. You have pleased us very much. We will take you back to this place over and over again. Remember, obedience and submission make you feel so good. Only obedience and submission make you feel this good.”
We let Mark sleep for half an hour before taking him back into a trance. He was instructed to quit his job and to give notice to his landlord. His full-time training had begun.
VII
The full transformation of the Mark-unit took four months. He spent two hours every morning at the gym with Joe working out. His body gradually developed tone and strength as he gained muscle. Even dressed in street clothes, he was obviously well built. We intentionally kept him from becoming too well built, however. Most people who saw him probably assumed he was someone who engaged in enough physical labor to keep him in shape but was not a body builder. I called Erik in to advise on appearance and wardrobe and to instruct Mark in grooming and etiquette. We wanted to preserve Mark’s innocent and rather naïve look, but our clients are wealthy and expect the units to be able to blend in socially and to be presentable and to have good manners.
The most important part of Mark’s training, however, was the daily training session using hypnosis. Mark fell into a deep trance whenever he was shown the blue crystal. We continued to condition him along the lines explained above. He gradually lost all ability to resist. In fact, his desire to obey and submit was so strong that we quickly achieved full conversion to unit status. Mark did whatever he was told. His body and mind were totally controllable. He now experiences so much pleasure from obedience and submission that disobedience and resistance literally are unthinkable for him.
We also gradually conditioned him to the concept of the “owner.” He came to accept that pleasing the owner, obeying the owner, catering to the owner, was his only purpose. Pleasing the owner was his only source of pleasure.
Of course, Mark is one of our successes. His conversion took so little time that I suspect that his former self had been attracted to obedience and submission. We were merely helping him along a path he was already following.
VIII
Soon after we completed our programming of Mark, I received a call from Robert Dennis, one of our clients. (The names I give here for our clients are, of course, not their real ones.) He had a business associate who had seen his unit and was interested in purchasing a similar one. Because of the sensitive nature of the product we offer, we accept a new customer only on the recommendation of a current client. We also have to be sure that the new customer can afford the price and maintenance fees. The initial stages are conducted through the current client--that way the potential customer’s identity is protected, and we maintain our anonymity. Only when we are satisfied that the offer is sincere do we meet with the customer. Mr. Dennis assured me that his associate was trustworthy and could afford our charges. At that time, I had three units ready for placement, two males and one female. Mark, you already know. The other male was in his thirties, a bisexual. He had been owned for seven years, but when his owner had run into financial problems and could no longer pay our monthly maintenance fees, we had had to repossess the unit. The female was, like Mark, a recent conversion. We have videotapes of all our units showing them both dressed and undressed and demonstrating the features of the units. They are quite attractively produced, if I do say so myself. Of course, given the quality of our units, it is less a question of “Do I want one of these?” and more a matter of “Which one do I want?” For the man, woman, or couple who has everything, the thought of owning an obedient, docile handsome young man or beautiful young woman totally devoted to its owner can be quite entrancing.
Mr. Dennis passed the video along to his associate. We heard back within a day that he was most interested in the Mark-unit. Again through Mr. Dennis, we sent him a link to a questionnaire on our website. The questions are designed to allow us to judge if the customer has the psychological capacity to become an owner. Not everyone has the right mindset; many more believe that they do. At the same time, we asked Mr. Dennis to commission a financial report. He would send us a copy with the applicant’s name removed. His unit revealed the person’s name to us for our own private check. We were quite glad to discover that the new client was in all respects well qualified to become Mark’s owner.
A meeting was set up at the Albion to allow the client to meet and inspect Mark. The Albion Hotel’s reputation for accommodating only the most distinguished guests reassured the client that we were meeting on “his turf,” so to speak. Actually, through several front corporations, Foster Enterprises owns the Albion. The suite we “rented” for the inspection is one we reserve for such meetings and follow-up visits with the clients and the units. Given the social and financial stature of our clients, a meeting at the Albion, unlike a visit to Foster’s Sandman Shop, occasions no speculation or comment from their acquaintances and associates.
Jeff and I took Mark to the room an hour or so before the meeting in order to make the final preparations. We put Mark into the quiet mode and had him focus on the pleasure to be derived from pleasing the owner. The rules for the meeting are straightforward. The customer may talk with the unit. The unit will be presented both clothed and unclothed. We will demonstrate the features of the unit and its training. We don’t tell the potential purchaser this, but if we feel that he or she is sincerely interested, we will allow a more personal test of the unit.
The front desk phoned a few minutes before the appointed time to announce the arrival of the client. Perhaps he was looking forward to the meeting. Indeed, Mr. “Jones” seemed a little keyed up, even nervous. Well, purchasing a unit is not an everyday act. It does make even the most self-assured person a trifle apprehensive. I think I can say that when he met Jeff and myself and had a chance to interact with Mark that he relaxed. Mark was, of course, charming, both clothed and unclothed. He was deferential and respectful but answered Mr. Jones’s questions fully and articulately.
The units are to a large extent sex toys, and it is the rare customer who does not ask to see a demonstration of the degree of sexual control that can be exercised over the unit. The video of Mark had shown his penis becoming erect and flaccid on command, as well as ejaculation on demand. The customer wanted to make sure that this was not simply a matter of carefully editing of the videotape.
Jeff had Mark stand on a towel before the customer. Jeff stood beside Mr. Jones and held the blue crystal in front of Mr. Jones’s face and had Mark focus on it. I explained to Mr. Jones that the crystal was just a device used to train Mark, who had been conditioned to obey the person holding the crystal. There was nothing magical about it, it was just a device. Anything similarly shiny would do.
Jeff had Mark watch the swinging crystal. Mr. Jones focused on Mark intently as Jeff commanded him to become erect and instructed him that Mr. Jones would count from one to ten. When he said “ten,” Mark would ejaculate. I must say that Mr. Jones participated with enthusiasm in the experiment. He appeared to be entranced by Mark. He never took his eyes off of the unit. It was quite a spectacular performance.
“And he will do this for me when we are alone, it is not necessary that one of you be present?”
“Yes, but it’s not just this. The unit has been performed to obey the owner of the blue crystal in all respects. The owner has complete control over the unit’s body and mind. If you purchase it, we will program it to obey you. There are no limitations on the control you can exercise. It will do whatever you want. And it has been trained to observe you and anticipate your wishes and desires. It is intelligent and thinks only of pleasuring the owner.”
“It sounds too good to be true. I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen Bob Dennis’s machine .”
“Let me point out some of the other features of this particular unit. It is fully capable of becoming a personal assistant or a middle-level employee in office or home. There are tax advantages if you pay it a salary that’s deductible from your expenses, especially since you can recycle the income by having it purchase things you would otherwise buy yourself or by paying the monthly service fee from its own earnings. It is extremely low maintenance. It will make no demands on you. It expects no presents, no special favors. It has been conditioned to satisfy all demands of the owner immediately and without hesitation or protest. As you can see, it has excellent interpersonal skills and can function in a business or social setting. So you not only get a highly trained sexual puppet but an excellent employee. It is also easy to account for its presence in your life if it is an employee. Legally, of course, that is what the unit is. Our contract is an employment agreement. Sandman Personnel Services is providing a trained personal assistant and nothing more. It is, of course, an organic unit and requires food and exercise. The exercise is part of the monthly service fees. We maintain all our units in top physical condition. We also recommend that the unit listen to our training tape once a day. Of course, you have to be careful not to expose yourself to the tape.”
“You mentioned that it had been trained to satisfy the owner’s sexually. I wonder if I . . .”
“Perhaps you would like to try the unit yourself, Sir. The bedroom is through that door. You will find condoms in the drawer of the lamp table beside the bed. I hesitate to mention this, but for obvious reasons the unit can be tested only with both of you wearing condoms. If you will permit me a small joke, we can’t risk an unwanted pregnancy. It would lower the unit’s value. Jeff and I will wait in the lobby bar downstairs. When you have finished your examination and are ready to continue our discussions, call the barman and he will let us know.”
It took Mr. Jones somewhat less than an hour to complete his inspection and decide to purchase the unit. When we returned, he was a very happy man, very happy indeed. Within a few minutes, we had cinched the deal. It is a measure of the trust that our clients repose in Sandman Enterprises that when I gave him my business card, he offered me one of his and introduced himself fully. When Jeff explained that we had to email a link to a website that would instruct him in the commands programmed into the unit, he immediately gave Jeff his personal email address. Business could not survive without such trust. Mr. Jones delivered the payment and the first monthly maintenance fee three days later. By that time, we had programmed the unit to regard him as the owner, and Mr. Jones took immediate possession. I am happy to report that he is now in his third year of ownership and remains a satisfied customer.
IX
Our contract with our clients specifies that they can return the unit after five years as a trade-in. None of our clients has ever taken advantage of this clause to return a unit. We can honestly say that our current list of clients is completely satisfied. Unfortunately in the early days, this was not always so. There are some clients who become bored quickly, even with perfection. There is also a darker side. When they get bored, some cannot resist the temptation to see how far the unit will go in complying with their demands. Since the units are programmed to obey completely, they will disregard their own welfare in complying with the owner’s wishes. Those owners who quickly tire of the unit and want something new seem especially prone to mistreating the units.
One early unit was beaten so severely that Jeff became quite upset. This is not the place to explain the revenge he exacted, but it was beautifully appropriate. He then suggested that we take steps to guarantee customer satisfaction. The video the potential client receives contains subliminal messages that begin conditioning the customer to anticipate the joys of ownership and to treat the unit as a cherished possession. The online questionnaire each customer completes identifies those who are susceptible to our methods. Jeff uses his demonstration of the unit’s control device to hypnotize the client lightly and make him or her amenable to further suggestion. The website explaining the commands programmed into the units also trains the client further in the duties and responsibilities of ownership. And despite our explicit warnings to the contrary, for some reason our clients always expose themselves to the tape that the unit listens to daily. Then, too, the unit always takes the white noise machine to its new home, where the owner enjoys a peaceful night’s sleep listening to the message of how happy he is to be with the unit and how completely satisfied he is. At regular follow-up sessions, Jeff checks on the state of the unit and the client and, as necessary, fine-tunes them.
So, you see, all of our customers are satisfied. Not one could imagine life without the unit. In fact, I can honestly say that our owner-unit pairs are among the happiest couples in the country.
X
I hope this explains why the price of the units is so high. As you can see, it takes about a year to effect the conversion. If you are interested in making a purchase, we would be happy to discuss models and prices.
Or, perhaps, you may be interested in becoming a unit. Did the description of the training process stimulate your imagination? Did it perhaps even excite you to think of yourself being controlled in that fashion? If it did, we’re in the Yellow Pages under “Sleep Aids.”