Chapter 4b - Reality #WeeklyWIp #glbt #gay #mm #scifi #realityTV

In this society, humans live a thousand years and biologically mate through an unexplained chemical reaction.

When Petr Markenson's uncle figures out exactly how to mate two people, he finds himself deep inside the process...and on live television waiting to meet his mate.

Chapter 4b

Petr did not respond, but he had the sinking feeling he knew exactly what Wry had done and that the evening was not going to be pretty.

Twenty-four candidates were ushered into the screen room where Wry stood surrounded by two guards. He looked mutinous. Petr knew that expression well. He had seen it on one too many prey’s faces.

As soon as they were assembled, the screen came on. Victr did not look pleased. “Wry, do you know why you are here?” he demanded in a cold voice.

Wry glared at the screen. “I didn’t do anything wrong. You’ve been keeping us from our mates while others get to enjoy theirs! I went to find mine.”

A few candidates gasped while Petr and Tenro’s eyes met. Tenro mouthed thank you and Petr nodded. No doubt Tenro would be in this same position if Petr hadn’t talked him out of it numerous times already.

“You were told you were not to go into any of the restricted areas and yet you did so. Your mate was nowhere near where you went. In fact, you damaged a highly sensitive experiment we had underway. As the result of your selfishness, that experiment will have to be restarted, which loses us five years of work.”

Wry winced, but kept up his mutinous expression.

“You were warned of the consequences of your actions and now you will pay for it. Wry Preddinglo. You are hereby kicked from the program. You will be taken to a secure area and sequestered there for the duration when you will be released to your home. And,” Victr sat up straight, his expression going from firm to sad, “I am afraid you have lost the ability to meet your mate.”

“NO!” Wry yelled, his legs giving out. He would have fallen if the guards weren’t holding him up.

“I am sorry, Wry. More for your mate than for you, I am afraid. Good day, sir.”

Without another word, his guards picked him up and carried him out of the room. All eyes followed them until the door shut and then turned back to the screen.

Victr placed his face in his hands and rubbed a couple times. When he dropped his hands, he looked all of his seven hundred years. “My friends. I do not want to deny any of you your chance at a mate. Please, I beg you. Do not break our rules.”

Everyone shook their head adamantly. 

“As it is, he was supposed to meet his mate tonight. Idiot,” he muttered under his breath. “As such, another mate has been summoned. Due to the time issue, the mating will take place an hour later tonight than normal. Please try and relax during the delay.”

The screen went black.

“What an idiot,” someone muttered. 

“I don’t think I’m going to leave the house,” Clari sighed. “I can understand Wry’s frustration. I have been feeling it too. But to throw it all away like that.” She shook her head and left the room.

It was a somber crowd that met later that night. There were now twenty-four of them. Petr wondered if anyone else thought it suddenly felt as though they had elbow-room now. He did not bring it up as nobody seemed in the mood for a joke. Neither was he to be honest, but as angry as he was at Wry for being so stupid, he also felt sorry for the poor bastard. Maybe he could talk his uncle into finding a way to introduce Wry to his mate. It seemed criminal to keep them apart.

Two guards walked into the room. One stood by the portal, the other stood where Victr usually would stand. “Good evening. My name is Durl. I know today was a bit of a downer, but he was warned. For two of you, though, tonight is about to look up.”

“Two of us?” Clari’s voice sounded incredibly loud. “I thought it was going to be one per mating evening.”

The guard nodded and chuckled. “The boss thought you guys needed a pick-me-up, so he instructed us to bring two of your mates.”

The good news seemed to lift the dark cloud that hovered over them somewhat. Durl walked over and through the portal.

Almost immediately, he called out, “Tenro, please join me.”

The first twice in a row, Tenro frowned but went through the portal. A few soft whispers travelled through the group, but nobody spoke loud enough for Petr to hear what they said. 

“Grod, please join me.”

Of course Petr hoped for all those he had met to meet their mates, but at the same time, he knew they would some time in the three months so he wanted it to be him.

“Petr, please join me.”

Gulping, Petr walkup to and through the portal, feeling it close behind him. Standing next to Durl were two men. One looked to be in his fifth or sixth century with silver tingeing his temples. He wore a suit and had short black hair and green eyes. The other was younger, maybe in his fourth or fifth decade, with shaggy blonde hair, bright blue eyes and laugh lines that curved away from plump lips

“Petr, this is Denb. He is from Brafen where he works as an attorney.” The older gentleman held out his hand palm down. Immediately Petr froze. Frowning, he placed his hand out right next to Denb’s, palm down. Amused, Durl looked at Denb. “I am afraid that as one of the candidates, Petr has the right to control the meeting.”

Growling under his breath, Denb turned his hand over and placed it lightly on Petr’s. Thankfully, there was no connection. Both men sighed in relief which just made Durl laugh.

Moving him aside, Durl pointed at the younger man. “This is Kai. He is an artist and lives at Denabui Artist Colony. Originally he is from Quadrant Qui.”

Raising an eyebrow, Petr looked Kai over. He did not know much about Quadrant Qui except it was said to be housed with humans so wild they could not speak. “Hello,” he said in a deep voice as he held his hand out.

Without seeming to think about it, Kai reached his arm out and turned it palm side up, slowly lowering it over Petr’s hand. Just before it touched, Kai winked at him. As it touched, Petr’s hand felt as though it was lit on fire. The fire flashed up his arm lighting every one of his nerve endings aflame. Before he even knew what was happening, he had Kai down on the ground, grinding his cock against him and plunging his tongue into the boy’s mouth.

“Petr!” He heard the voice but ignored it. The only thing that mattered right now was securing his mate. Two sets of arms grabbed him and pulled him to his feet. He turned to glare at one then froze as he recognized him. 

“Durl?”

Laughing, the guard nodded. “Yes, Petr. Now, I know you wish to solidify this mating, but there are a couple things we need to do first.” He pointed at Kai and the moment Petr’s eyes alighted on his mate, he tried to get out of the guard’s grasp. “No, no. We will let you go soon. But first, you need to lock and secure the mating bands and get your stuff packed!” Durl shook him and slapped his face, making him jerk. “You with us?”

Chuckling, Petr nodded. “Yeah, I’m with you. Shit but that stuff jumps at you, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, it does.”

The voice that spoke was unknown to him, but he loved the sound of it. Turning, he looked into the bright blue eyes of his mate and immediately felt that overwhelming need to claim him. Taking a deep breath, he muttered, “We had better get this done soon or I won’t be able to control myself.”

“Why don’t you look at his arm,” Durl suggested, “as that is where the band is. Does that help?”

Breaking the eye contact with Kai, Petr looked down. He still wanted to jump his mate, but he was in charge of that impulse now. “Yes, I can do this.” The guard released his arms and he quickly reached out and turned the lock on his mate’s band, pulling the key out and tossing it into a small vessel Durl held out. At the same time Kai reached out and with long, nimble fingers that Petr was trying not to imagine drifting along his body, he turned the lock on Petr’s band and tossed the key into the vessel. Almost immediately, Durl tossed a match onto it and the keys burst into flame. They watched them as they shriveled up and turned to dust.

“Now, go pack. Ghen here will go with you to make sure you get to your cabin before you solidify your relationship.” Durl guffawed quietly. “Congratulations.”

Grasping Kai’s hand, Petr pulled him out of the room and up the stairs to get his stuff. Petr pulled his clothes out of the closet and smiled when Kai folded everything and put it in the suitcase Petr pulled from under the bed. When everything was packed, Kai stood up and their eyes met. 

“Oh no!” Ghen yelled, putting his hands over their eyes. “No eye contact, gentlemen. Not until it’s safe. Now, face forward and let’s go.”

Chuckling, Kai grabbed a box while Petr grabbed his suitcase and the two of them walked down the stairs hip to hip trying their hardest to not look at one another. As they reached the bottom, a shriek rang from the room. Petr looked over toward it as it sounded like Taci. Knowing her desire for a female mate, he hoped the dry boring attorney was not hers. Taci needed a more vibrant companion.

Unfortunately, some hopes were not answered. The door opened and the attorney walked out carrying Taci over his shoulder. She was crying and Petr stepped forward. “Taci, are you all right?”

She hiccupped but nodded. “This… is my mate,” she sobbed as he carried her upstairs.

“Is she all right?” Kai asked leaning in toward him.

Petr shook his head. “She's a lesbian. That her mate is male must be overwhelming for her.”

Kai chuckled and Petr shivered as a strong hand landed on his shoulder. “I’m glad you did not react that way.”

Grinning, Petr nodded. “I might have if he had been my mate.”

Laughing, Kai placed a hand around his upper arm and pulled gently. Nodding, Petr followed Kai and the guard out the door where a small ultra-vehicle was waiting for them.

It was almost impossible to sit next to his mate and not look at him. “How far to our cabin?” he asked the driver impatiently. 

Ghen chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’ll get you there as soon as possible. Your cabin is at the north part of the property, though. So it will take about an hour to reach it. Just take a few deep breaths.”

“Fuck you,” he growled under his breath, making the driver laugh louder.

To make matters worse, a soft pair of lips touched his jaw. “Kai,” he groaned in warning.

His mate chuckled softly. “I like my name on your lips. Say it again.” 

Petr moaned as his mate’s lips moved up his jaw to right below his ear. “Kai.”

“Mmm, again.”

“You're a bad influence,” he chuckled as Kai placed a hand on his abdomen and started unbuttoning his shirt.

“Definitely,” he murmured in a husky voice. “Do you know what Quadrant Qui is known for?” He slid his fingers under Petr’s shirt as he got enough buttons undone.

“No,” Petr answered, his breath coming faster than he would like considering the driver kept glancing back at them in amusement.

Kai chuckled. “A lie and we have only known one another a short while.” He pinched Petr’s stomach. 

“Ouch!”

He chuckled. “Now come, I am sure that you along with everyone else thinks of my quadrant as the degrading one. I have heard all the rumors,” he murmured trailing his tongue along Petr’s collar bone. “That we are monsters, animals, that we aren’t even human.” He chuckled again and lightly nipped Petr’s throat. “But the fact is… the reason people are afraid of Quadrant Qui, the reason all the lies were created in the first place, is because Quadrant Qui is free-thinking. We are taught to be sexual very young in life. We know how to please both males and females and-” he groaned deeply as he nipped Petr on the chin, “-we are known to be the most passionate, most sexual mates on the planet.” With a lithe movement, he moved and straddled Petr’s lap.

Leaning in and yet not looking into his mate’s eyes, he kissed him softly. “People from my quadrant have active sex lives until the day they pass away. So,” he hummed, kissing him deeper while undoing the last two buttons of Petr’s shirt and pulling it open, “you are going to be one happy man, my mate.” He pulled away slightly and grinned. “If I do my job right, one very exhausted man as well.”

(Chapter 5a coming soon)

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Chapter 4a - Reality #WeeklyWIp #glbt #gay #mm #scifi #realityTV

In this society, humans live a thousand years and biologically mate through an unexplained chemical reaction.

When Petr Markenson's uncle figures out exactly how to mate two people, he finds himself deep inside the process...and on live television waiting to meet his mate.

Chapter 4a

Breathing deeply, Petr opened his eyes, blinking them in amusement as he surveyed the room around him. “It was a fucking orgy,” he murmured, sitting up, chuckling when Carr rolled off his lap onto the floor with squeak. 

She looked up at him and started to laugh. He just grinned. “So,” he said looking around at the sea of partially dressed people in the room. “I guess the hormone is working.” His inhibitions gone and the hormone practically beating a consistent throb in his cock, for the next two days he stuck to the house. Over those two days, he sampled five of the other candidates, all of them just as fucking horny as he was.

When he woke up on day seven with a small headache, he wondered who’s room he was in. When the four individuals he was twisted up with had no idea either, Petr extracted himself from their embrace and from the house for a while. This was unlike him and he was pretty sure he needed to back off just a bit. They did not know how this SKZ-1 worked when it was reintroduced. What if after meeting his mate, his libido died because he had abused it before hand? That would suck. He wanted to be fully sexual with his mate for at least the next three or four centuries. As such, maybe he should stay away from the house.

Growling at himself for his cock-blocking thoughts, he stripped down and dived into one of the smaller lakes, hoping to dispel some of his uneasiness. After swimming for an hour, he pulled himself out and lay on the grass in the sun to dry, still having come to no conclusions about what he would do.

“Petr!” 

Groaning, he looked toward the voice. This time it was Wry who was waving toward him. “Just got a com! Victr is coming tonight. Somebody is gonna meet their mate!”

By the time Wry said the word mate, Petr was pulling on his clothes as fast as he could. He knew what Victr showing up meant and he had no intention of missing the possible contact with his mate. As he pulled on his shoes and ran toward the house, passing Wry without any trouble whatsoever, he wondered if he could get word to Victr about the orgy that was the ranch now. As he caught sight of one of the many cameras that decorated the building, he laughed to himself.

There was no reason to tell his uncle. The whole fucking quadrant knew. They had been recorded for the last seven days. Embarrassed as hell and hoping his family would not catch a glimpse of what he had done over the last two days, he darted inside and up to his room. He ignored his roommate’s grunts as he pounded into his newest fuck while he grabbed a change of clothes and went to take a shower.

By the time he washed and dressed, everyone was eating dinner. Petr quickly popped some food tablets as he wasn’t sure he could handle real food at the moment and instead of hanging out on the back porch with the others, he wandered around the room they had met in that first night. It did not take long before they joined him. In ones and twos they filtered into the room until it was full again. Then they stood and fidgeted, waiting for Victr to show up with someone’s mate.

“Sorry for the delay,” Victr said quickly, walking into the room almost an hour later. “We were not allowed to take off from the lead city for a half hour. Completely put us behind schedule. Before we do anything else. Tell me. How are you liking the ranch?” As he spoke he walked into the room and circled it, somehow making eye contact with every single one of them. Petr wasn’t sure how he did it. When he met Petr’s gaze, he winked before turning away.

Chuckling to himself, Petr knew his uncle must have caught the live show. Just great.

A few candidates told him how much they were enjoying themselves, but most, like Petr just wanted to get this next part over with. The wait was killing them.

“I’m glad to hear you are enjoying yourselves,” he said. “Now, tonight we will be introducing two of you to your mates. After this, we will only be introducing one at a time, but it will be done every three to four days. This way those who have not been matched up do not have to wait a whole week.” He waved toward the sliding doors they had entered the week previously to the sitting room. “There are two individuals in that room. Two of you are their mates.” 

Twenty-eight pairs of eyes fastened on the door like hungry wolves. Almost immediately, one of the guards stepped in front of them. Victr just chuckled. “We do not want you stampeding the poor people, so I will go in there to speak to them for a moment and one by one, you will be called in to meet them. Are we clear?”

Half of them nodded, making him frown at the other half. “There is no reason to get antsy. Each of them is only meant for one of you. Coming in when that person may not be your mate would be a very bad thing to do. If you come in before you are called, you will be tossed off the program.  Are we clear?”

The rest of the candidates fidgeted and nodded. His smile was back. “Splendid. If you will excuse me, we will get this done. As you are slightly aware, there are cabins for the use of the mated pairs. When your mate’s and your bonds are activated, you will have the chance to collect your belongings and join your mate in one of those. Good luck.” Without another word he walked to the sliding doors, which opened before him and closed the moment he was through.

“Did you see who was in there?” someone stage-whispered.

“Not really.”

“A man and a woman, I think.”

“I thought I saw two men…”

“But…”

“Wry, please come in.”

Twenty-seven pairs of eyes watched the balding man take a deep breath and walk toward the door. As soon as he was through and the doors closed, the whispering started again.

“He will probably wait a few people. It’s best not to be first.”

“Oh, I don’t know. If they set up the two people right off…”

“I think…”

“Corr, please come in.”

Corr gulped and glanced at Petr, who winked at her and mouthed Good luck! Smiling and nodding, she walked to the doors, disappearing quickly behind them. As the whispers started, they quickly stopped when the sound of a crash came from the other side of the doors.

Tenro burst out laughing. “Sounds like Corr has met her mate.”

Petr chuckled as did a few others. Well, looked like Corr wouldn’t be around to fuck. He felt somewhat sad about that until he reminded himself that he didn’t want to fuck too much from now on anyway.

“Petr, please come in.”

Shivering in anticipation, he walked to the doors, stepping through them the moment they were opened. Standing next to Victr was a young female with a soft heart-shaped face, brown hair, and gray eyes. She looked as though she would fit in with his village. A slight amount of disappointment settled into his stomach about that, but then he reminded himself that he did not even know if she was his mate or not.

“Petr, this is Violi. She is from Quadrant Luo.” Victr took a step backward, which was when Petr realized there was a red spot on his uncle’s face. It didn’t take much to realize he must have been too close when Corr met her mate. No matter how much he tried to stop it, a small chuckle came to his lips. Victr raised an eyebrow and grinned ruefully. “I will not stand so close from now on.”

Grinning, Petr placed his hand out, palm down. Violi smiled at him and placed hers on top facing up. Nothing. Her face fell and blushing she took a step backward. Victr waved to a door that would take him into the hallway.

With the combined emotions of disappointment and relief, he walked out of the room and up the stairs to his bedroom. He had barely reached the landing when he heard another crash. Well, Violi met her mate. He wondered who it was.

Ten minutes later Gorth burst into the room, his face alight, Violi right behind him. “Petr!” he grinned manically. “This is my mate Violi. We are heading to the cabins.”

“Congratulations,” Petr offered, watching his roommate gather his things together as quickly as possible. His eyes dropped to their mating bands which were already a shimmery white rather than the worn silver they had displayed just minutes ago.

Violi finally helped her mate because his mind was not on his task. Three minutes later, Petr had the room all to himself. He stood up and checked the door for a lock. It had one. Maybe he could get a night of uninterrupted sleep. 

The next day the candidates were a little more quiet. Even though they had seen a mating their first night, now there had been two more and the reality of the program was beginning to hit. So was the desire to meet their mate.

“So what did Corr’s mate look like?” Taci asked Wry at breakfast.

He frowned. “There were two of them. I don’t know which one she got.”

“Gorth mated with Violi. So whoever was the other one is Corr’s mate,” Petr said somewhat dryly. Wry was acting put out. No doubt he thought he would be mated by now.

“Guy by the name of Drǜn. Big and bulky,” Wry stated as though his balding head was so much better.

“I understand this is a program and it has to last three months,” Deq, the gray-haired lady said quietly. “I just wish it would happen faster. I have waited so long.” She sighed and walked over to the railing and stared into the trees.

As Taci walked over and put an arm around her, Petr hoped that the two of them would meet their mates soon. 

Soon happened sooner than he expected.

As the time frame for the shoots had moved from every seven days to every three to four days, the next mating ceremony came upon them quickly. Petr had barely explored a little more of the ranch before they were notified the next mating would happen that night. This time, as twenty-six candidates met in the room, there were a lot more furtive glances as they wondered who would be lucky enough to meet their mate. The knowledge that they were not competing for any individual was understood, but the hope that this would be their night made them think of the others as competitors.

Against his own judgment, Petr felt the same. Logically, he knew it was stupid, and yet he could not help but think that whomever they were bringing tonight would be his if the other twenty-five weren’t there.

When Victr walked in, Petr barely bit back a guffaw. His uncle’s left temple was yellowing from where he was hit a few days previously. No doubt he had no idea this would be such a dangerous pastime.

There were not as many platitudes this evening. “I think we should get started, don’t you?” Every one nodded. “Good. After tonight, I will be handing over these duties to two of my guards as I do not have the time to fly out here twice a week. I will still show up from time-to-time and never fear, I will keep my eye on everything that is going on so that you meet your mates.” 

He waved toward what some had begun to call the portal – the sliding doors that the intended mate stood behind. “Join me, Tenro.”

With a smile and a nod, Tenro followed Petr’s uncle through the portal.

Nobody whispered. In fact, Petr figured they could probably hear a pin drop even with all the plush carpeting. Everyone was intent on listening for any sound from the other side which was silly considering the fact that any crash would be heard over any whispers.

“Breh, please come in.”

Petr watched a candidate he had not gotten to know well yet walk across the room. At two centuries, Breh appeared almost a millennia older. He half expected her to fall over while walking, but she did not. 

“Geria, please come in.”

As Geria walked through the portal, more fidgeting started. Petr wished his uncle would just call in the right mate and not have them go through this torture, but then he supposed the network had something to say about that. Tension was better for ratings.

“Taci, please come in.

“Bornt, please come in.

“Stron, please come in.”

When fifteen of them had been called in and so far nobody had mated with whomever was on the other side, the fidgeting turned to glares and anger as some of the candidates eyed their competition. Somebody in this room would be mated tonight. Would it be them? Or one of the others?

“Deq, please come in.”

Petr smiled at the older lady as she walked by him. She gave him a cautious smile and walked through the portal. Less than a minute later, Victr laughed loudly. “Well, there is no doubt you two are mated,” he chuckled. “But at least you did not destroy a piece of furniture while finding out. Please lock each other’s band. Now… go, pack and enjoy.”

Smiling, Petr peaked out the door and saw Deq walk up the stairs accompanied by a man her same height who’s hair was also graying at the temples. They looked cute together.

Something changed that night. The socialization did happen to a certain extent, but for the most part, the candidates were too focused on their mate to notice the other sexually available people not a foot away from them. Petr found it easier to concentrate, even with the fact Taci moved into his room as she could not stand being alone now that Deq was gone. It amused him that the oldest and youngest candidates had roomed together.

She did not want to hang around the house much and tended to follow him on his jaunts around the grounds. She was an easy companion as she did not talk too much and was willing to go as fast and as far as he wanted to go; she just did not want to be alone.

On the next day of a mating, Petr, Taci, Tenro, and Clari were playing cards waiting for everything to start when there was huge yell as though someone was in pain. Standing up, they looked over the grounds, shocked to see Wry being dragged back to the house by two guards. 

“What the hell did he do?” Tenro snorted in amusement. 

(cont next week...)

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Chapter 3b - Reality #WeeklyWIp #glbt #gay #mm #scifi #realityTV

In this society, humans live a thousand years and biologically mate through an unexplained chemical reaction.

When Petr Markenson's uncle figures out exactly how to mate two people, he finds himself deep inside the process...and on live television waiting to meet his mate.

Chapter 3b

Gasps met that announcement and the excitement in the room practically shot through the roof. Even with his heightened excitement, Petr noticed they were missing one candidate. He wondered if that individual had reneged, or if they were held back for some reason.

“First of all, I am Victr Bry’on, head of Bry’on Mating Limited. I welcome you all to this beautiful ranch. Over a thousand acres of pristine forests and clean lakes. You will have access to certain areas of it during your stay. In your rooms, you will find a list of the restricted areas. I ask that you not enter any of those areas for your own safety. It is so important that I have unfortunately put a large penalty on it. If you are found going into a restricted area, you will be sent away from the ranch without your mate.”

Several candidates gulped and Petr grimaced. He wondered what was in the restricted areas. Then it occurred to him. Maybe it was who was in the restricted areas. Their mates were probably there.

“While single, you will all be housed here, two to a room. Once you meet your mate, you will move out into one of the outlying cabins for a little one-on-one time. You will be filmed at all times, whether it be here or in the cabins. Be aware of that as everything you do will be recorded and may be shown on screen.

“Your food will be provided. Food tablets are available for all meals, and a natural dinner will be served daily for those who want it. I suggest you enjoy the time you have here. Make the most of it. Yes,” he said with a laugh, seeing the expressions on everyone’s faces. “Yes, I know you are here for a purpose and that purpose will happen. But you might as well enjoy yourself in the meantime.” He winked at Petr making him chuckle. 

“As you know, the Bry’on mating bands once activated will turn the color of their mate. To prove that what we can do is not cheating – but a natural reaction of the band to each pair of mates – we are not going to be handing a pair out to you and your mate.” 

Several groans of disappointment filled the room making Victr and Petr laugh. “Instead, tonight you will all be putting on a band, chosen by you; your mates will also be choosing a band tonight. It will remain unlocked until you meet. At that time the two of you will lock and seal your bands. The next day they will show your design.” He smiled. “We want to show that the bands depend on the mated couple to show the results.” He waved toward another set of sliding doors that opened. “Follow me.”

The crowd pushed forward behind him. Petr held back, knowing what was coming. Or at least he thought he did. When they went through to a large sitting room, there was a large table in the middle with an even larger bowl on top of it. The bowl was covered with a cloth. “As I call your name, please come forward, choose a band from the bowl, and get your room assignment. After everyone has their bands, I suggest you go lie down, get to know your room and house mates. Lunch will be served within the hour.” He pulled the cloth off the bowl and every eye, even Petr’s, switched to the gray mating bands piled inside.

“Lreth.” The woman who had glared at Petr walked forward proudly, grabbed a thin band that looked like a bracelet and Victr affixed it to her wrist. “Remember, do not turn that key.” She nodded and he gave her a piece of paper with her room assignment. Slowly, but surely, Victr worked through the candidates. Petr was fourteenth. He chose a thick band that looked more like a cuff, chuckling as his uncle affixed it to his wrist. When the last candidate had been called, they all looked at the bowl. There was still one band sitting inside.

Victr followed their gaze and smiled. The twinkle in his eye told Petr this was done on purpose. “Ah yes. The thirtieth candidate should be here soon. He was delayed.” As if called up out of nowhere, a tall man with dark shoulder-length hair, dressed in torn pants and a grungy shirt walked into the room. “Ah, Peri, you arrived. Please, come forward and receive your band.”

All eyes were on Peri, and Petr wondered if it was for the same reason he could not look away. The man was striking. He had that quality of power that had always intrigued Petr – his uncle had that quality, plus he looked like he just did not fucking care what anyone thought of him. Victr explained about the bands as he placed it on his wrist; when he was done, Peri actually smiled, which lit up his face. “Come,” Victr encouraged, waving towards the rest of the candidates. “Meet your housemates.”

One-by-one, each of them met his hand in greeting. That he was a dominant son-of-a-bitch made Petr chuckle. Peri placed his hand palm down whether he was greeting a man or a woman, thus placing himself in the dominant position. The closer and closer he came, Petr became more uncomfortable. He would not take the submissive position, not even in a greeting. 

As it turned out, he did not have to. Third person to his left, Lreth placed her hand palm up on Peri’s and it was as though someone lit a firecracker. Both of them gasped and their eyes locked. Thirty seconds later, he had her pressed up against the wall with his tongue down her throat.

“Holy shit that was fast,” snorted Wry, the balding man.

The cameras zoomed in on the couple while the rest of the candidates were shoo’d out of the room, laughing from the shock. But it wasn’t just the shock. They had just seen the power of Victr’s program, as had the cameras. Petr had the feeling that when the first episode of the program aired that night, the entire quadrant would be hooked. He knew he surely was.

The bedrooms were small with the same items on each side of the doorway; an individual-sized bed, dresser, and small closet. By the time Petr unpacked his few items, his roommate arrived. 

His roommate was a terratorialist named Gorth. He grunted a lot and had little to actually say, but that was fine with Petr. It wasn’t as though he planned on spending much time in doors. There was an entire ranch to check out and until his mate showed up, he had every intention of exploring it. As he headed downstairs to get a food tablet, Tenro caught up with him. “Well, that was an interesting start to our stay.”

Chuckling, Petr nodded. “I didn’t think any of us would meet our mate until next week at least.”

Grinning, Tenro grabbed four tablets and a bottle of water. “Hey, I’m gonna go check out the place. Wanna come?”

Nodding, Petr grabbed a couple food tablets and followed along, a bottle of water in each pocket of his pants.

Tenro had thought to bring the map along, but as it was, the restricted areas were clearly marked. Every area they should not enter was cordoned off with bright orange emergency tape. “Well, at least we cannot accidentally wander into one,” Tenro remarked as they passed the third one.

“I kind of wonder if that is where they are housing our mates,” Petr remarked, spotting a grove of trees and breaking into a jog.

“Wait up!” his companion called as he finally reached the treeline and slowed down. ”You,” he panted, “think they are hiding our mates in the restricted areas?”

Shrugging, Petr took a drink of water. “Well, it makes sense. I can’t imagine any other reason to block off areas.”

“Man… now I want to go check one out,” Tenro said slowly, looking over his shoulder where they could just barely see the rope marking off one of the areas.

“Don’t,” Petr said more harshly than he intended. “Victr Bry’on does not say anything he doesn’t mean. If you go in there, you will be out of here before you can meet your mate.”

Grimacing, Tenro nodded. “All right. But at least there are plenty of places for us to go. Damn, this thing is so large; we won’t be able to get to it all anyway.”

They continued to walk along, checking out the woods and two of the lakes before heading back. By the time they reached the main house again, they seemed to have reached a decent understanding of one another. Or at least Petr hoped so. Three times he had to warn Tenro about crossing a barrier. He was worried his new friend would be out on his ear before the excitement truly began.

Dinner was served on the back patio and for the first night, all attendees seemed happy to eat the natural food. Petr walked around and got to know a few people better. Most everyone was talking about the first mating they observed.

“I had no idea it would be that instantaneous,” a short lady with gray hair whispered as he walked past her table. “I’ve seen many matings take place and none of them were that violent.”

Chuckling, Petr looked over at her and smiled. “My sister’s was. Her friends had to drag her and Marks apart so they could get the ceremony performed.”

Giggling a little, she nodded. “I know that happens with the young, but so many of us are older.”

“We might be older,” piped up a gentleman with dark red hair and tons of freckles named Bornt, “but we ain’t dead. I feel like a young man again!” He winked at her and placed a hand on her knee, making her giggle again.

Smiling, Petr moved on, aware that many of these candidates like him were feeling their hormone race for the first time in decades. He wondered how much sex this building would see between now and the end of the program. Something told him it would be the norm rather than the exception.

At the end of the porch, it was dark and he sat on a railing and looked out at the dark green trees in the distance. “Hey.”

Looking over, he smiled at the youngest candidate, Taci. “Hey, yourself. Enjoying the day?”

She shrugged and sat down on the railing facing him. “I don’t really like being around a lot of people. Too much chaotic energy.”

Chuckling, he gazed at her. Taci was shorter than he was with a nice ample figure a man could really get into without being overly large. He briefly wondered if she would like to be his bedfellow for the evening, when she gave a large sigh. He looked up into her amused eyes. “Sorry, Petr. I prefer women.”

Laughing, he nodded. “I hope your mate is female then.”

Stunned for a second, she shuddered and her voice dropped to a whisper. “You don’t think they would actually mate me with a male, do you? I mean, the psychologist said it could happen, but …” She bit her lip and fidgeted. 

Grimacing, he tapped her foot lightly with his. “I think it has to do with our hormone. So, this isn’t something they can control. What will you do if you meet your mate and he’s male?”

Another shudder washed through her. “I told the psychologist I would accept my mate no matter what, but that would be hard to get used to.”

He grinned and winked at her. “I don’t know. Considering the way Peri and Lreth acted, your body may take over and you won’t realize what sex your mate is for days.”

Snickering she nodded. They sat in a companionable silence for several minutes before the lights started to flash. “Oh!” she exclaimed softly. “I think that is the ‘get to bed’ notice.”

“Considering our age, it amuses me we have a curfew.”

The next few days were busy for Petr. He stayed away from the main house except for dinner through breakfast. The ranch enthralled him and he found himself going deeper and deeper into it. Wandering through the woods on his fifth day, he recognized that feeling of peace that the outdoors always gave him. It was one of the things he had loved about being a huntsman. Rarely did he have to spend much time in doors. Maybe he could convince his uncle to let him work outdoors at some point. He definitely needed it.

When he was at the house, he spent most of his time alone sitting on the porch. Every once in a while, he would be joined by another candidate, but as he had suspected, sex was the uppermost thing on everyone’s mind. Three times he had walked into his room to find his roommate fucking somebody; well technically, twice he was doing the fucking, once he was being fucked. Except for the first night when he had considered Taci, he had been able to keep his hormones at bay. With a wry grin, he acknowledged he was waiting for his mate. He had the feeling they would make up for lost time those first few weeks and months.

A part of him knew it was stupid to be holding out for his mate, but he seemed to be doing it anyway. Not that he expected it to last much longer. If he wasn’t mated within a week or two, he planned on pounding several someones into his mattress over and over again.

“Petr!”

The yell of his name made him turn around from his exploration of one of the smaller lakes. He waved. “Hey, Corr!”

Smiling, she waved him toward her. Sighing at being interrupted, he jogged around the lake in her direction. “They are showing the show they filmed that first night in the screening room soon. Didn’t want you to miss out.” She smiled coyly and batted her lashes making him chuckle internally. He had the feeling if he wanted to stay right here and fuck, she would not mind missing the show.

“Is this the one they showed on PBN?” he asked stopping in front of her. She nodded. “Should be interesting to see how they presented the first mating. Let’s go!” He grabbed her hand and started jogging in the area of the house. He could feel her disappointment, but her naturally bubbly personality overcame it and her laughter soon burst out as she pulled her hand from his and took off. 

“Last one there only gets a food tablet for dinner!” she called back over her shoulder. 

“Oh, hell no!” he hollered after her, taking off. He could have beat her easily enough, but instead he stayed very close and when they got near the house, picked her up and carried her inside. He grinned at her laughing face. “We tied.”

She laughed loudly. “All right. I guess you get real food too.”

Chuckling, he put her down on her feet and they walked into the screen room where everyone was ready for the show to start. Almost every available space was taken, but she spotted a large cushy chair and pulled him over to it, pulling him down on top of her once she plopped down.

“Tell me how you really feel,” he grunted, rolling to the side, putting an arm around her shoulder and getting comfortable. She just laughed and curled up next to him.

The show looked just like any other dating program, except for the interviews they showed with Victr that must have been produced before the show started. Petr grimaced as he watched himself walk up to the house. Was that him? He looked like a fucking movie star. He felt a blush and was glad he was tanned enough you really could not tell. Of course, they all looked much better on screen than in person, he realized looking around. Not that any of them was something to laugh at. 

True, none of them were classically good looking, but everywhere he looked was an attractive person. Pausing in his thought process, he chuckled to himself. Were they really good looking? Or was that the overactive hormone talking? He was beginning to wish he did not know of the hormone and how it worked. It was making him question everything when he could be having just as much fun as everyone else.

The show was supposed to be an hour and a half long, so Petr was surprised when they got to the mating bands before forty-five minutes had even passed. What would they do for forty-five minutes? Oh. Half of that time, was a small documentary on Lreth. There were pieces of her documentary, as well as shots of her. Then they went over Peri with the same information. The last five minutes of the show was their meeting. 

Petr had been there and had not felt any tension except for not wanting to submit to the guy, but the way the show was edited, the tension in the room was high when their hands touched. Every candidate in the room gasped, even though they had been there when he grabbed her, shoved her against the wall and started kissing her passionately. The one thing none of them had heard that day, though, came through loud and clear on camera. Just before Peri kissed her, he let out a guttural, “Mine!”

Action in the screen room started before the vid even stopped. Something about what they had just witnessed turned all of them into uncontrollable sex fiends. Without even thinking about it, Petr rolled over on top of Carr, grabbed her breasts and pressed his lips to hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

As he ripped off her shirt, Petr wondered how this was going to end… but that thought left as the grunts and groans of the other candidates turned him on further. His hand roughly pulled up her skirt, quickly pushing her legs apart with his own. The moment his fingers found her hot, wet pussy with no panties, he was lost. 

As he went to unzip his pants, he found her hands there before him. “Quickly!” she gasped, practically ripping them open. As soon as he pushed them past his ass, he pulled her legs apart further and thrust inside. 

“Fuck!” he yelled, unable to stop himself from pulling out and thrusting back in again and again. He grabbed her hips and held her as he slammed into her over and over. She let out a high keen and he chuckled as she moved her fingers to her clit for more stimulation. “Yes,” he growled, “touch yourself, Corr. Faster!”

It became all about how fast he could reach his orgasm as she rushed towards her own. He battered her little pussy continuously, digging into her hips with his fingers as her keen rose and her body started to shake. “That’s it, Corr. Cum baby, cum!” Her head nodded as her breathing sped up and her fingers battled with her clit. When her pussy started spasming around him and she let out a series of short screams, he intensified his thrusts even further, no longer considering her pleasure as she had achieved it, but instead chasing his own.

As his balls tightened and his cock started to thrum, he shoved himself as far in as he could go, yelling out as the orgasm overtook him. When his cock shot out the last stream of cum, he collapsed on top of her, unable to move. The grunts, moans, and groans of the sex around him lulled him into sleep.

(Chapter 4a next week...)

Read More

Chapter 3a - Reality #WeeklyWIp #glbt #gay #mm #scifi #realityTV

In this society, humans live a thousand years and biologically mate through an unexplained chemical reaction.

When Petr Markenson's uncle figures out exactly how to mate two people, he finds himself deep inside the process...and on live television waiting to meet his mate.

Chapter 3a

“Just don’t forget to feed them, all right?” Petr said in a more intense tone than normal. Grimacing, he shook his head. “Sorry, Dermt. I know you will take care of my pets.”

Chuckling, Dermt shook his head at his brother who had been standing at the door to his small house for almost thirty minutes. “Petr, the family will take good care of your house and your beasties. Just focus on that damned camera that is going to be following you around for the next three months.” A smug smile crossed his face. “Sasha is due a few weeks after you get back and all of us are excited to meet your mate.” He paused and shifted a bit from foot to foot. “Uh, will they allow the family to come up for the ceremony? I mean, Mama is going to want to be there.”

Shrugging, Petr shook his head. “I doubt it. I don’t even know where this place is Victr is having us all taken. He has it pretty hush-hush, even within the company. I cannot imagine he will want a bunch of strangers up there.” Reaching forward, he smacked Dermt on the shoulder. “Tell Mama she can plan a celebration when we get back.”

Finally turning his back on his house, he walked straight to the vehicle that had been sent for him. The driver opened the back door and closed it behind him once he sat down. He was somewhat alarmed when he realized he could not see out. “Petr?” the driver said through the com.

“Yes?”

“All candidates vehicles are blacked out so that you cannot see where we are taking you. Do not be alarmed. The drive will take approximately twenty-two hours. Feel free to stretch out and sleep. There are food tablets and wine behind my seat.”

“Thank you.”

Twenty-two hours? That would take them all the way across the quadrant. Without thinking about it, he grabbed for his aircom, chuckling when it wasn’t where he kept it. “I wonder how many times I will do that over the next three months.”

Directions from Bry’on Mating Limited were clear. He was to bring seven pairs of comfortable pants, three pairs of dress pants, two pairs of shorts, as well as twenty different shirts. Besides his personal toiletries, that was all he was to bring. None of them were allowed to bring books, tablets, recording devices of any kind, nor where they allowed an aircom. Leaving it behind had been difficult, almost more difficult than leaving Dangr and Cruftn, his pets.

After drinking a full glass of wine, he laid down on the long seat and quickly fell asleep to his surprise. When he woke up, he had no idea where he was except that he was in the back of a trans-vehicle on route to an unknown location. A small shudder went down his back making him chuckle. As a huntsman, he always had control. Suddenly that control was gone.

Sitting up, he was pleased when a small overhead light came on. Looking around, he spotted a screen in front of him. Leaning forward, he turned it on. Victr’s face filled the screen.

“Petr, Glad you joined up. I am sure you are beginning to wonder what the hell you have gotten yourself into, but I assure you this will all turn out amazingly well. I cannot give this away to any of the other candidates, but I wanted you to know that I have indeed found your mate. I cannot say when you will be introduced to this individual as that planning has been orchestrated by PBN, but I assure you, it will happen sometime within the next three months. I think you will be pleased.”

Chuckling, Petr poured himself another glass. An endorphin surge zinged through his body and against his better judgment, he found himself grinning like an idiot. His mate was actually alive and he would be meeting him or her soon. “Damn, I feel like a kid about to go on his first mating ritual.”

Chuckling again, he took a sip and continued to listen to his uncle.

“You will only see me a few times as it is still a long flight from headquarters, but I assure you I will be there from time to time. I cannot wait to hear your impressions of the place. Enjoy yourself, Petr. There is not much for you to do but enjoy yourself for the next three months,” he said with obvious amusement. “I look forward to your mating celebration.”

The screen turned off and Petr leaned back. Victr had found his mate. True, his uncle had assured him he could do it, but until now he had been rather doubtful. “I wish he would have given me some head’s up, some knowledge of what my mate looks like.” Leaning back he closed his eyes and thought of the many girls he had messed around with at mating rituals. Ninety percent of the girls he had hooked up with and about fifty percent of the men were blondes. Well, not surprising, really. He had always appreciated blonde hair and blue eyes.

Everyone in his village and family had either brown or dark reddish-brown hair. The majority had gray eyes, though there was the odd brown-eyed individual from time-to-time. He had light gray eyes, just like his father. His mother’s side of the family all had dark gray eyes just like his uncle Victr. Diria’s changed depending on how good or bad a mood she was in.

The com came on interrupting his thoughts. “Petr, we are within the area. PBN is having us arrive in a certain order so once we reach the ranch, we will be in a long line of trans-vehicles. No reason to get nervous. We could be in line for fifteen minutes, or for ten hours depending on how they are doing this.”

“Wonderful,” Petr grunted, taking another sip. It had been almost a day since he had been outside and he wanted to get out, stretch his legs, and smell real air rather than the stale, manufactured stuff he had been inhaling for hours. Ten minutes later, the driver spoke again.

“All of the trans-vehicles arrived quicker than they expected. So, they have allowed us to drive you elsewhere so you can get out, move about, use the facilities before we get back in line.” They stopped and two minutes later the door next to him opened. He expected sunlight to be pouring in the door for some reason, but instead, it was dark – though lighter than the interior of the trans-vehicle.

Stepping out, he stretched his muscles and looked around. They were parked off to the side of one of the quadrant highways in front of a large tent. “Inside you will find some food, water, and the facilities. You have twenty minutes.” Nodding at the driver, Petr walked to the tent, opening the flap to find a large oval space. In the center was a small table with food tablets and water. To the right in the back there was a small area cordoned off by a half wall.

“That must be the facilities.” He chuckled amused. After cleaning up and downing a couple food tablets as well as some water, he walked around the interior of the tent a few times, taking deep breaths while trying to calm down his insides. Twenty minutes went by quickly as before he was ready, the flap pulled back and the driver stuck his head in.

“It’s time, sir.”

Nodding, Petr followed him out, smiling as the first signs of dawn lit the morning sky. Today was the first day of the most life-changing event he would probably ever have. He planned to make the most of it.

As it turned out, he was glad they got to make a pitstop as they ended up sitting in the line of trans-vehicles for over three hours before he was allowed to exit. When the door opened and he stepped out, he had half a mind to dive back inside. Flashes upon flashes greeted him as he faced over one hundred cameras. Looking past them, he saw a large off-white farmhouse. Figuring that was where he was headed, he walked through the throng of reporters towards the front door.

“And this is Petr,” said a smooth female voice he had heard for years. Strae Walsh, the PBN Evening Voice. Her job was to find out who was doing who and to broadcast it all over the quadrant. He hoped she would not be staying. As the cameras suddenly cleared, he found himself face-to-face with the clawing spider. She stood several feet in front of the porch, wearing a black evening gown along with heels, a hat and a veil. He half expected her to be sporting a wine glass, but she was not. She grabbed onto his arm as he went to walk by.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” she purred into the cameras. “Now, isn’t he a looker!” She gave him a fake smile. “I am surprised a gorgeous man like you needs help finding a mate, Petr.”

Planting a fake smile on his face, he stood still and replied to the cameras, not to her. “Finding one’s mate is not easy. Yes, we can find an individual who fills our mind or bed well for a small amount of time, but to find that one individual; the one for whom our body sings – well, who would want to pass up that opportunity?” He let his smile grow real. “As I am close to the century mark, I had practically given up on finding my mate. To learn that Victr Bry’on has found a way to make it possible for me to do so… well, how could I say no?” He winked at the cameras. “I look forward to meeting my mate sometime in the next three months.”

Easier than he expected, he pulled out of her grasp and quickly made his way onto the porch. Before he could raise his arm to knock, the door opened ahead of him and he walked inside. The door shut behind him and a man dressed in Bry’on colors smiled at him. Petr relaxed at the familiar design on his uniform.

“The others are waiting on the drawing room.” He pointed Petr toward a door at the very end of the hall. “Please join them.”

“Thank you, I will.” He walked down the hall and opened a set of sliding double doors. Inside, were seventeen people, all of them looking nervous or disgruntled.

“Damn,” laughed a tall woman with flaming red hair to his immediately left. He turned to look at her as he pulled the doors shut behind him. “I wish you hadn’t shown up. This means we won’t be mates.”

Chuckling, he held his hand out like always, palm down. She quickly did the same, hers palm up as the back of their hands met. No reaction. Shrugging, she pulled her hand back. “My name is Clari, I am from Quadrant Neu.”

“Petr, Quadrant Thr. I thought all candidates were going to be from this quadrant.”

Laughing, she nodded. “I begged in my intro video for them to allow me in. I think it was my age that convinced them. I just passed my fifth century mark.”

Grinning, he nodded.  “At least you got in, that is the important part.” As they spoke, the others slowly made their way over. Before he knew it, he was touching hands with everyone there. Two individuals, a large woman with dyed blonde hair and green eyes and a short man who was unfortunately balding gave him a reaction, but neither in a good way. The moment the backs of their hands met, they jumped apart as a slightly painful zap hit their wrists at the same time.

The woman had been affronted and charged back to the other end of the room and glared at him as though it had been his fault. The man just chuckled, shrugged and wandered away. Petr had never had a reaction like that and couldn’t help but wonder if it was from that increased hormone production. Could that cause negative reactions? Sighing, he wished he had a notebook to record this information on.

As people wandered in, they were greeted by everyone. While nobody admitted it, Petr could tell there was always a slight hope as they touched the back of someone’s hand that they might be their mate. When it did not happen, disappointment was quickly hidden and conversations would be started about inane topics like gardening and quadrant politics. Of the twenty-eight individuals he met before Victr and a camera crew walked in, he found four people he looked forward to getting to know and conversing with. Tenro and Grod were both farmers from the lower part of Quadrant Thr; hard workers, they did not put on any false fronts. Geria and Corr were both from the lead city; one was an herbalist, the other, an animal trainer; both were ultra-feminine and quiet, but from the very beginning their sharp wit came through. Yes, the four of them would be a pleasure to talk to.

“Candidates, welcome!” Victr called as he walked into the room, his eyes dancing. “I hope you have gotten to know one another. You will be spending a lot of time together over the next few months.” Behind him a man holding a camera as well as a woman holding a mic trotted along in Victr’s wake. Petr recognized them from the crews outside. “Today I am sure you are exhausted, so this will be quick. I will go over the basics, give you your mating bands, and the first of you will be introduced to your mate.”

(cont next week...)

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Chapter 2b - Reality #WeeklyWIp #glbt #gay #mm #scifi #realityTV

In this society, humans live a thousand years and biologically mate through an unexplained chemical reaction.

When Petr Markenson's uncle figures out exactly how to mate two people, he finds himself deep inside the process...and on live television waiting to meet his mate.

Chapter 2b

“Of course, dear boy. How else do we prove that our results work? With Pier behind it, it will be shown over the entire quadrant. Every Tuesday night, people will be huddled in front of their screens waiting to see a mating occur.”

Clearing his throat, Petr opened his mouth only to close it again as the door opened and Vint walked in with a tray of food. He placed plates in front of each of them as well as glasses of water and wine before leaving.

Once the door was shut, Petr tried again. “So, how is this all going to work? On most of these programs people get cast off. But you are talking about mating couples up? I don’t see how that is going to work.”

Beaming, Victr took a drink of his wine and sat it down. “The first episode will introduce the candidates, going over their struggles to find their partner. Each subsequent episode will focus on two of the applicants, giving a more in depth history as well as showing when they meet their mate for the first time.”

“Holy hell,” Petr groaned, taking a bite of a roll. “Meeting one’s mate in front of millions of people. That could get… embarrassing.”

Laughing, Victr nodded. “Yes, all the applicants will be aware that anything they do will be filmed and could possibly be aired. There will be guards on hand to pull a couple apart if they try to physically mate on camera. But,” his eyes gleamed. “If they do, higher ratings.”

Chuckling, Petr shook his head. “So what, once they meet you put their bands on and the audience gets to watch the color turn?”

“No. That would prove nothing. People would say we chose the specific bands for that couple. They would suggest that we planned it.” He shook his head. “No, on day one, the candidates will be brought into a room where a large bowl of bands sit. They will choose one and place it on their own wrist, but the key will remain until they meet their mate. Their mates will also get the same treatment. When they meet and the chemical activates, they will rip off each other’s key and the band will solidify.” He grinned widely. “Right in front of the whole damned quadrant.” 

“Damn,” Petr whispered, finishing his meal and leaning back. “That's brilliant.”

Laughing, Victr nodded. “By the time the second episode has aired, we will have a pile of applications to go through.” He rubbed his hands together. “I can hardly wait.”

“So, when is this thing starting?”

“Ah. I want advertising to start the blitz next week. The applications should start coming in right after that. Our plan is to shoot the thing starting in three months. Each candidate will have to give up their life for three months as all of them will be sequestered for the entire time. But for the opportunity to meet their mate and be on live screen? They will not be able to resist.”

Nodding, Petr took a drink of his wine and leaned back, gazing out the fake window that sat behind Victr’s desk.

“Thought any more about whether you want to join up?”

The question did not surprise him. He had been thinking of nothing but. “Of course I have thought about it. It’s just…” Petr grimaced. “Doesn’t it sound desperate?”

“Desperate? To want to find your mate?” His uncle smiled. “I think the majority of our kind wishes to meet their mate, Petr. There have been times in my long life where I wished for one as well. But overall, I am a loner. You are not. Diria raised you to be a loving mate, nephew. You and I both know it.”

“True, but that does not mean I have to like it,” Petr shot back with a grin.

“It is your choice. If you choose not to do it at first, you are welcome to submit your name to the huge influx of applications afterward. I cannot guarantee how fast it will happen at that point. I will tell you that if you join up now. I will do my damndest to find your mate as quickly as possible.” Turning, Victr grabbed his small screen and with a few touches brought up a list. “This is a list of currently unmated individuals in all seven quadrants where we currently have a sample of SKZ-1. The number sits at just under ten thousand. Once the advertising blitz starts, I hope for it to jump to a million.” He pushed the list over toward Petr. “Your mate could be on this list.”

Petr found his hand reaching out for the list before he pulled it back. “What happens if a mating does not occur?”

Nodding, Victr turned off the screen and placed it back down. “Like I said, we cannot guarantee, but so far only three individuals have refused their mating call. They felt the jolt, the chemical called to them to give in but they refused.” Frowning, he shook his head. “Petr, be aware that a mating is not an ‘I want this and only this’ scenario. Your mate may be of a different race, social and or economic background. Your mate may turn out to be male.” He paused and nodded when Petr looked at him with surprise. “That is why those three matings did not work. The individuals involved could not handle being mated with a member of a certain sex.” Sighing, he shook his head. “Personally I do not get it. What is the big deal? But they refused and to this day are on meds to help dull the pain of the separation from their mate.”

Wincing, Petr asked, “What about the mate they refused? It would be worse on them I would think.”

“It was. Two of them committed suicide. One shut down mentally and while she works and helps out her family, there is no life in her.” He sighed again. “So, before any applicant can be accepted, they will be interviewed by someone who will make sure they are ready to accept their mate, no matter what.”

Driving home, Petr could not get his uncle’s words out of his mind. How horrible would it be to find one’s mate and have them reject you? He shuddered at the possibility. The opportunity, however, seemed too good to pass up. And yet at the same time, the thought of being in front of a camera while finding his mate was horrid. Not to mention what would happen if his mate – if he found her or him – refused him?

Groaning with the stress as well as all the real food his uncle had been feeding him lately, he walked into his house and sat down, chuckling when his pets climbed all over him demanding their meals. “All right, you two. Dinner coming up.” Pulling himself up, he fixed their meals and grimaced at how sore he felt. “Guess I am going to have to start working out. In my last career it was part of the job. Now, it will have to just be something I do.”

*****

As Petr worked on the two projects Victr handed off to him, he was so busy he never got the chance to find out how things were going with the new project until a week later.

“All personnel to the screen room please.”

Stretching out his muscles from having been bent over the table trying to make sense of his uncle’s shorthand, he grabbed a mug of water and left his office, following the other VPs down the hall.

The screen room sat in the middle of the offices, completely cylindrical in shape, with four doors equidistant leading in or out. Rows of hard wooden chairs were arranged facing a large screen on one end. As soon as they sat down, Victr Bry’on strode into the room. 

“Ladies and gentlemen. Today we launch what will be the next boost in Bry’on Manufacturing’s business. First, let me say that Bry’on Manufacturing has been a leader in the mate bonding industry for several centuries and we have striven to bring the most enjoyment to such a wonderful trade. As of today, we take over the industry.”

A small buzz of excited voices met that announcement.

“In one hour, Bry’on Manufacturing will be just one part of a new company called Bry’on Mating Limited. Not only will we keep manufacturing the best mating accessories around, but we will also become the number one mating company. And this will show you how.”

The lights dimmed and the screen went from gray to green, turning into a woodland scene. Petr realized it must be their advertisement for the new program. 

Victr pulled a seat up to his nephew and leaned in. “This is it, Petr. Are you in or not?”

Swallowing, Petr watched the advertisement play out. It showed happily mated couples, all wearing the signature Bry’on mating band of course, as well as un-mated individuals from all walks of life. As the ad turned into an explanation of the program and what Bry’on Mating Limited would do for its candidates, he tried to slough it off, for once unable to ignore the stinging pain in his shoulders when he did so. Maybe this was a change he should take. So he would be putting himself in front of the camera. Why would that matter? For one thing, he would be able to help his uncle steer any conversations or actions he might want to have happen. It seemed easier to convince himself to do this for the sake of his uncle’s company.

As the advertisement ended, he turned and looked into the deep steel eyes of his uncle. “I’m in.”

A grin spreading across his face, Victr stood up and went back to the front of the group. “Yes, this is exciting. And we already have our first candidate.” He waved toward Petr. “My nephew will be one of those searching for his mate. 

“Most of you won’t see too much of a change in your departments over the next few months, but you will see an influx of personnel. A formal announcement will be sent later on today. If you have any questions, please let me know. Back to work.” With no further words, Victr turned and walked out of the room, his head held high.

“Hot damn,” one of the other VPs chuckled. “This is gonna make us one hell of a lot of money.” He smacked Petr on the shoulder. “Good for you for volunteering to be the company guinea pig. I couldn’t do it.”

That seemed to be the general consensus – that Petr was doing this for the good of the company and he preferred it that way. It made things easier as time went on to focus on the program and the show rather than the fact he was getting physicals, having blood drawn, getting psychological evaluations, as well as having his physical appearance slightly altered. 

He tried to put his foot down on that one, but Victr had been gone that day and Asha would not be denied when she brought him to a room that had been turned into a salon. His brown hair turned black, his eyebrows sculpted, and the rest of his facial hair ripped out. When they took wax to his body, he yelled, but they ignored every filthy word that came out of his mouth.  His tan skin from so much work outside was considered ruddy and the fact it was not all-over concerned the sadists who had been assigned to him. For three weeks afterward, he had to lie in a tanning bed for an hour until he was the same dark tan all over.

After that, he was screen-interviewed as well as had to sit for a whole slew of photographs. By the time Asha pronounced him ready, he wanted to just go hide for a few years. When the time came for the first ad for the show to go live, he felt sore and on edge. His family had not been informed yet what he was involved with and he was not looking forward to telling them. For one thing, they would tease him about his new appearance. He looked like a damned model, a career he had sneered at for as long as he could remember.

At the same time, the desire to find his mate had increased for some inexplicable reason and while he had not asked, he was wondering if that subliminal thought had already been placed, thus upping his body’s production of SKZ-1.

“Telling the family?” Victr asked him as they made their way to their vehicles after work.

“Yes.” Petr sighed. “I wanted to be the one to tell them before the ad came out.”

“Good luck. And if Diria gives you too much trouble, have her call me.”

“Thanks, uncle.”

The drive home went too fast, as did feeding his animals and changing into a pair of jeans and a button-down shirt. All said, he arrived at his mother’s house thirty minutes before he was ready to. “Damn.” Everyone’s cars were already there and taking a deep breath, he walked in. “Hey, everyone.”

Once again, silence greeted him. Only this time it was accompanied by stares and gawking.

“Oh my!” Sasha squeaked, slapping her hand over her mouth. “What did you do with Petr?”

A few people snickered at her comment, but for the most part, they seemed to not know what to say. Dermt cleared his throat. “So, is that the Bry’on look?”

Shrugging, Petr perched on the arm of his brother’s chair. “Something like that. I wanted to tell all of you about something that was happening before you heard about it.”

His mother took that moment to walk in. “Okay, I made something spe-” Her words died as she took notice of Petr. “What the hell happened to you!”

Groaning, Petr leaned back. “Mama, I’m just about to explain.”

“Well, do so quickly, because I am wondering why my son does not look like my son!” she snapped.

Grimacing, he stood up and paced for a bit. “Well, see Uncle Victr’s company is starting up a new program. It's to help find mates for unmated individuals… like me.” The words tasted like sand paper coming off his tongue and the pleased look that appeared on his mother’s face just made it worse. “Anyway, it's going to be on television and so they took a team of specialists to make me look good.”

Turning to the screen, he walked over and turned it on, turning to the Pier Broadcasting Network. “The first ad for it appears tonight. I wanted to tell you about it before you saw me on here.” Walking to the back of the room, he once again perched on his brother’s chair.

Dermt cuffed him on the arm. “You want it this much?” he asked seriously.

Shrugging, Petr both nodded and shook his head. “I’m not sure. I want it and yet… to be on television is damned scary.”

Snorting, Dermt nodded. “Yeah, I wouldn’t want to do it.”

A warning screen came up as a smooth female voice began to speak. “The following program is for our adult viewers. If you are under the age of consent in your quadrant, please leave the room now. Thank you.”

Two seconds later, the warning screen left and the front room of Bry’on’s mansion came into view. Victr sat on a long, leather sofa smiling at the camera. “Good evening, friends. For centuries I have worked tirelessly for the mated couple. As you know, Bry’on Manufacturing puts out some of the finest in mating gear and we will continue to do so. But now, we are furthering our desire to help mates meet each other.”

Images of happily mated couples filled the screen. 

“I have been studying couples and mating for a long time. Two of my studies have given me knowledge that supersedes what most people know about how the mating chemical reaction works. As such, I have decided to use that knowledge for the greater good.”

The images left and once again the camera was back on Victr. He held up a mating band. “How many hunger to have one of these around their wrist, knowing it matches the one on the wrist of their mate? What if I told you that I could make that a reality?”

Several of Petr’s family gasped at the statement.

“A few weeks ago we launched Bry’on Mating Limited, a company focused on helping individuals meet their mate. We had an overwhelming response to our request for candidates for this first program. Pier Broadcasting Network has offered its services to record this first time and we are grateful for the assistance. It allows us to do what we do best. 

“On the screen are the pictures of thirty individuals.”

Slowly images came up along with a first name. Petr’s was fourteenth. 

“These candidates will be brought together in an unknown location for three months. Over those three months we will introduce them to their mate.” He smiled. “Yes, you heard me right. I know who their mate is and will be introducing them during the show.

“This kind of program has been attempted, but never with the knowledge I possess. I assure my audience. What you will see is the real reactions of thirty individuals as they meet their mates for the first time. When this program is complete, we will be opening our doors to the larger communities. Oh,” he said with a chuckle. “And the ages of our candidates range from sixty-two to six hundred seventy-one.” He winked. “Yes, I guarantee the mating can happen after the first century and I am going to prove it.”

Victr continued to speak as images were splashed across the screen, giving as much information as the advertising division had deemed necessary and not a bit more. But Petr was only slightly aware as every member of his family turned and looked at him in surprise.

“Petr, are you sure about this?”

(Chapter 3a next week...)

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