Theo shivered in nervous anticipation. He felt a deep distress in his core. Hungry, tired, and anxious, his palms gripped the bench, fingers digging into the harsh metal. A heavy-duty harness bound him in place. The bulky straps pressed against his shoulders and waist. Held in an unforgiving X-brace, his back was forced ramrod straight, denying even a hint of slouching. His pale hands moved slowly tracing the cold, metallic buckles that secured him there. Each one was sealed tight, locked with a magnetic key that Theo had no access to. The air felt heavy around him. He was stuck. Trapped inside a military jumbo jet, surrounded by around a hundred others, all in the same predicament. 

They were all conscripts, bound for Sector Trident, Zone 47. They sat in uneasy silence thick with a shared sense of dread. The gentle hum of the jet engines was the only noise to fill the austere fuselage. Theo felt like a piece of cargo being ferried to a vague location. His shoulders chafed against the bound fellows on either side of him. This was the only movement that came in small, restless bursts, as they waited together yet entirely alone. Theo glanced at their broken, terrified expressions. No one met another’s eyes for long. No one wanted to see their own fear reflected back at them.

Their possessions had all been surrendered at the processing facility. Theo was now clad in a strange jumpsuit made of a silvery, plastic material. His feet were clad in a pair of unlined, rubberised boots. Apart from this, he was completely naked underneath, making the material’s presence very pronounced to his bare flesh. Although he attempted to voice his complaints to the burly security guards at the facility, they easily manhandled him into the dressing area. As if the humiliation of being forcibly dressed wasn’t enough, all his body hair had been washed away during a decontamination session. A harsh chemical was spread on every part of his body. It stung like a motherfucker, before it was hosed away by guards dressed in orange hazmat suits. He felt his now denuded skin cling to the clammy interior of the silver material. How on earth did he end up in a situation like this?

He couldn’t believe his luck at being chosen as part of the conscription programme. Sadly, there was little he could do after the notice arrived. It confirmed that, under the issue Directive 47, he would be placed in the ownership of the GEC. At first, he thought it was a mistake. Many people believed the conscription programme only applied to criminals currently housed in prison. He attempted to contact authorities in his area, but there was zero sympathy or clarity regarding his situation. 

In a desperate attempt, he tried to skip town the day before his enrollment. As night fell, he snuck out of his apartment and headed for the train station. He made it as far as purchasing a ticket to bum-fuck nowhere and walked out onto the platform before he was caught. The shock and dread hit him like a ton of bricks as he was grabbed from behind. Everything went dark from there, and when he awoke, he was in the processing facility.

Theo recalled hearing on the news weeks prior to his drafting letter about a disaster unfolding on the outskirts of Denmark. An industrial incident, at a power facility. The extensive evacuation of nearby cities within a 100 km radius, whole populations uprooted almost overnight and a diversion of trillions of euros worth of relief effort. There was a scarcity of any real footage behind the exclusion zone, and statements from those affected had been minimised. What little eye witness accounts that surfaced were quickly buried beneath official reassurances from the government and energy authorities. Still, so much remained unknown, and the media, alongside the world government, kept a tight and unyielding lid on everything. The truth itself was completely sealed.

With the establishment of the Global Unified State, or GUS for short, twenty years prior, most nations now function as part of a single, interconnected system. It was no longer a fringe idea but a serious political agenda. The frameworks for global governance took shape worldwide. There had been some resistance, yet the general population accepted the major governing body that promised unity and prosperity across all nations. What was hidden beneath the shadows was the level of governmental totalitarian control and domination of people’s lives.

As part of the new wave of political ideology, centralised bodies were granted these extreme powers. One such body was the GEC, Global Environmental Conscription. Pooling many of the Earth’s resources into disaster-relief and clean-up efforts. The organisation quickly expanded, restructured, and renamed in bureaucratic layers that few civilians even bothered to learn. Tens of thousands of men, selected by algorithm, age, and physical metrics, were drafted into what was described as coordinated clean-ups. There were no exemptions beyond the absolute essential. Entire training facilities appeared almost overnight across various countries. It all occurred far from the eyes of the general public, but Theo was soon to find out what went on behind this wall of secrecy.

The wheels of the jet touched down on the tarmac at an old city airport, now converted into a military field. With only a handful of small windows in the aircraft, Theo had no knowledge of the time of day or his surroundings outside the plane. A rumble of frightened tension wracked its way through the hordes of bodies packed into the jumbo jet. Sensing that the plane had come to a complete stop, Theo felt the massive engines shut down as the conscripts waited in unsettling suspense. 

Suddenly, an intense ray of light shone from the back of the aircraft as the rear cargo ramp opened. Theo shut his eyes firmly as the harsh beam filled his vision. As the ramp fully opened onto the tarmac, there was the echo of dozens of heavy-clad boots entering the jet. The sound of commotion could be heard near the back of the hold, as the draftees were released from their bonds and escorted out onto the airfield. 

Finally, adjusting his eyesight to the onslaught of bright light, Theo focused on the cluster of brawny escorts toiling their way one by one through the restraints of each conscript. Their stature and size made Theo shudder with pitiful surrender. He thought he could perhaps try to escape once outside the plane, but gazing at the profiles of these behemoths, he felt completely helpless. Their uniforms were solid, inky black and form-fitting to their muscular bodies. A shell of protective armour reinforced their austere and threatening appearance with the word GUARD etched in thick, white letters on each of the men’s backs. Gazing at how rough the armoured escorts manhandled their way through each of the draftees, Theo acknowledged it was senseless to put up a fight. 

In a matter of minutes, Theo was surrounded on all sides by three bulky guards as they set about releasing his binds in complete silence. Bending the male forward, Theo gasped in horror as his bald head was directly lined up with the guard’s substantial and well-padded crotch. His nose almost grazing the smooth plastic codpiece. His eyes were full of fear, while his face was red with embarrassment. Before being brought to his feet, he felt the gloved hand of the guard in front rest on the back of his nude head. A low murmur escaped his lips as he felt his nose pressed further into the guard’s protected crotch. Was he toying with Theo? Before he could contemplate further, he was brought to his feet and led from the hold.

From the plane, the unlucky passengers were divided into groups of fifteen and transferred to armoured buses. Theo was forced to sit next to a scrawny male in a very uncomfortable state. Strapped tightly around his equally hairless head was a bulky  harness. The male’s wrists were held securely in restrictive handcuffs with bonds joined to his booted feet. His expression was broken and pitiful. Theo gaped in shock at the humiliated and bridled victim. An example to all around him that challenging the guard’s authority would lead to harsh consequences. 

Once the bus was fully loaded, the doors sealed with a heavy finality, and the engine sprang to life beneath them, a low mechanical growl that marked the beginning of their journey to the base none of them had chosen as their new home. The unfortunate individuals sat rigidly in their seats as the vehicle lurched forward, each mile carrying them further from anything familiar. Outside, dark clouds gathered and churned, threatening to unleash a torrent of heavy rain along their path. Once beyond the airport perimeter, the coach slowed only briefly as it passed through multiple checkpoints. More guards, this time armed with weapons were stood behind barriers and carried out silent inspections. Finally the bus continued on and merged onto an open highway, where there would be no turning back.

The view beyond the coach’s reinforced windows felt unreal. There was a complete absence of any form of life outside of the occasional military unit, which passed them on the highway. Cars sat where they had been abandoned by the side of the road. Rows of houses stood intact but with clear signs of decay. Their windows were boarded up. Passing the occasional shopfront showed empty shelves behind dusty glass with electronic signs shut off. The prompt evacuations following the incident meant life had stood still since that moment. Inside the coach, the dreaded silence filled the air, similar to the plane journey. No one felt the energy or the desire to speak.

After thirty minutes, the vehicle slowed. The sky gave way at last, spilling a relentless deluge of heavy rain as the thickening clouds swallowed the vast, eerie landscape. Ahead, the road narrowed into a controlled corridor, flanked by floodlights. Theo began to fidget in his seat, gazing out the rain-stricken window at the bizarre sight. Massive, thick concrete walls cut sharply against the decaying city that surrounded them. Reinforced barriers layered outward in staggered rings, each one embedded with cameras and barbed fences. It looked like a heavily fortified prison, which caused a sickening dread in Theo’s stomach. 

Sector Trident, Zone 47

It didn’t fit into the landscape surrounding it. The abandoned city pressed in on all sides, making the sector look like an island carved out of the city’s ruins. His bound travel companion refused to acknowledge anything outside the window. Instead, his shattered gaze was fixed on his cuffed hands pressed between his knees. As the coach rolled toward the gates, a line of figures stood waiting just inside the perimeter. 

Each of them was encased in a black enamelled combat suit just like the armoured guards at the airport. The light from the floodlights reflected hard, glassy highlights, as if their bodies had been dipped in oil. Their muscular bodies on proud display. Theo could tell the skintight material hugged the generous contours of each ominous figure, giving them a sculpted, almost inhuman silhouette. Their appearance stuck out like a sore thumb against the backdrop of decay and destruction around them. Their helmets were modelled after gas masks. Twin ports with hoses disappearing behind their backs to a backpack made from a similar material to their suits. Two darkened lenses revealed no hint of expression beneath. Not a single mark distinguished one from another. Theo felt a rush of fear gaping at these matching and quietly menacing silhouettes.

Once access was granted, the bus gently rumbled inside. The texture of the road changed from the bumpy, hole-riddled tarmac to smooth concrete. There wasn’t a single shade of green in sight once inside the perimeter of the base, only Gigantic structures composed of cement, glass and metal. Vast buildings blocked the cloudy sky from view. Vehicles were parked in various designated spots either for transport or freight. The base was teeming with life as hordes of oddly-clad figures were busy with various tasks or travelling between buildings. 

Theo spotted three distinct colours in the outfits that each worker was dressed in. There was black, which was clearly for guards, yellow for those hard at work and white for individuals observing the scene unfolding. All of them were head-to-toe in the strange and industrial hazmat suits.

The coach rolled to a stop outside one building marked;

STZ47 Drone Induction Centre

Six burly guards, dressed identically to the ones at the gate, marched onto the bus and began pulling conscripts to their feet. After forcibly disembarking the coach, Theo, alongside his travel companion, was escorted into the bowels of the foreboding building.

Theo barely had time to steady himself before a firm hand clamped around his upper arm and steered him forward. The transition from the outside world into the building was abrupt. One moment, there was the dull grey light of the rainy sky, the next, an artificial brightness that seemed to hum faintly overhead. The corridor they entered was vast and mazy, its walls an uninterrupted expanse of matte white. Sounds of rubber boots squeaked along the vinyl, white flooring echoing in all directions. 

Theo’s eyes darted around, searching for any sign of a potential escape route. Open doors, narrow spaces, even traces of a vent, but there was nothing but the endless corridors. The place felt scrubbed not just of dirt, but of any traces of humanity. The air carried a sterile, almost metallic scent, like antiseptic and cold steel.

After several turns through identical passageways, they arrived at a set of towering doors that slid open. Inside was a large open room. It was circular with a ceiling that arched high above, lined with concentric rings of soft white light. The brightness was almost shadowless, leaving nowhere for anything to hide. The floor gleamed like polished glass, reflecting distorted silhouettes as they walked across it. Arranged in precise rows, evenly spaced with unsettling symmetry, were dozens of chairs.

Not ordinary chairs.

Each one was shaped like a giant egg and sculpted from a sleek, off-white metal. They appeared unnervingly organic in build, like they had a life of their own pulsing through them. The chairs would easily cradle their occupant, like a bizarre kind of womb. Thick bands of dark material hung loosely from the armrests and headrests, Theo knew their purpose without needing explanation.

He hesitated.

The guard didn’t.

A sharp shove between his shoulder blades propelled him forward. His travel companion was dragged toward a neighbouring seat, their eyes meeting for a fraction of a second. The wide, confused gaze silently asking the same question: 

What is this place?

Theo was forced down into one of the chairs. Due to the shape of the egg-shaped recliner, his body was sprawled comfortably, staring up at the ominous vision of the guard’s masked faces. The surface was cold at first touch through his shimmering silver bodysuit, then subtly warmed. Before he could react, the guards fixed the bonds into place. Around his wrists and ankles, across his chest, and over his forehead. Not tight enough to hurt, but firm enough to remind Theo that any form of resistance was meaningless.

A low vibration pulsed through the chair, and for a moment, Theo thought it might be scanning him. His breath quickened. He tested the restraints instinctively, but there was no give. Gradually, around him, the room slowly filled with the other conscripts from the bus. The sounds of their muffled protest as they were secured in the large chairs filled Theo with dread. There was an occasional barked command from a guard, their voice altered by the gas mask, which sounded intensely sinister. Once the last of the draftees were secured in the chairs, the large doors sealed shut, and the guards trudged their way to a console in the centre of the room.  

Silence.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. Theo felt the terrifying stillness press against his ears. His heartbeat was hammering in his chest. Then the overhead lights shifted, the white glow dimmed, replaced by a darker, orange hue. His chair sprang to life, humming as it gently massaged his nerve-wracked physique. He couldn’t help but moan softly a mix of pleasure and fear emanating from his throat. The sound echoed from the other conscripts around him, all experiencing the same fusion of dread and comfort. The massive ceiling above them flickered, an image projected into view filling the line of sight of each draftee. It appeared like a seamless display, stretching across the entire dome of the room. 

A symbol snapped into clarity, the GEC logo, hovering above them as it rotated slowly. Booming from hidden speakers, a voice began to speak. Its tone was filled with authority and purpose. It was too robotic for Theo to consider this to be a human’s voice. 

“Welcome, conscripts.”

Theo felt a chill crawl up his spine. The voice continued.

“You have been selected to participate in the Global Environmental Conscription Program. This designation is not arbitrary. It is an assignment of significance, one that should be regarded as an honour. However, it is acknowledged that each of you does not perceive it as such. You have been brought here against your will, lacking both context and understanding of the work you are now bound to undertake. This response is anticipated. It is also irrelevant.”

The voice was void of any sense of emotion. Delivering every word in an extremely cold and distant tone. Theo could only stare at the pulsing logo as the voice boomed around him. He tried to fight his bonds once again.

“The human species has deviated from its fundamental responsibility, the preservation and stewardship of its environment. This sustained failure has resulted in irreversible damage, systemic collapse, and the necessity for intervention. The Global Environmental Conscription Program was established as that intervention. You are now a component of it.”

The display now shifted, showing visuals of strange uniformed figures. They moved in slow, deliberate lines, their bodies clad in thick, yellow hazmat suits. The material looked heavy and reinforced, the outer layer puffed up and glossed with a deep shine. Each individual wore a darkened visor that hid every trace of identity beneath. Similar to the guards, this reduced each worker to the same anonymous silhouette. Tubes from the mask led to a black tank mounted along their backs. Despite the weight of the suits, their movements were unfettered. The visuals showed them hard at work trudging through a ruined landscape, spraying a strange substance around their environment. It slowly manifested into other workers collecting debris and placing it in sealed containers. The suits themselves seemed dictated the worker’s movements. Their human bodies were just extensions to the suits which seemed to be in control.

Theo tried to look away, but the chair wouldn’t allow it. The headrest held him in place, angled perfectly upward toward the screen.

“You will be remade into the diligent workers that you see before you. Compliance is not optional, and resistance will be corrected.”

Almost to drive the point home, a harsh current flowed through each of the egg-shaped recliners, and a blinding pain ripped its way past each of the draftees. Blood-curdling screams echoed through the large room before the ache faded quickly. During the agonising onslaught, the hue in the room altered to a bright red colour, and the visuals changed to various hazmat workers being tortured by guards. Theo felt his teeth jitter with trepidation.

“Conscripts who meet or exceed assigned performance thresholds will be eligible for rewards. These may include increased rest intervals, access to controlled recreational stimuli, and, as you will all soon experience, heightened levels of sexual stimulation.”

Theo wailed against his bonds at the last comment. The guards dutifully subdued his struggling form as they applied another round of harsh shocks through his chair only.  

“Continued efficiency and adherence to protocol will result in progressive elevation of these benefits. The reason for this program’s focus on male conscripts is the ability to harness sexual desire to control the subject. A powerful tool to ensure obedience and commitment to directives. Those who accept their new role within the program consistently report decreased resistance and increased satisfaction. Happiness is not withheld from you. It is earned through alignment. Fulfil your function, and you will be permitted to RELEASE.”

A look of bewildered terror washed over each of the selectees. The visuals on the screen showed the bright yellow figures embracing each other, their bodies intertwined in lustful desire. Their gloved hands were exploring the bulky exterior of each other’s suits as they humped in an anguished attempt at sexual stimulation.

A faint hum built beneath Theo, resonated through the chair and into his bones. The air seemed thicker now, charged with something Theo couldn’t pinpoint. Around him, he could hear shallow breathing, others realising, piece by piece, the same terrible truth. His cock had begun to harden beneath his shiny overalls at the sight before him. 

What the fuck was going on?

END OF PART ONE

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Photo credits to the wonderful & amazing @MlatexM