After he had sent the telegram to Loveless, Midas reminisced: he had him. HE HAD HIM. He had the famous James West tied up, helpless, hanging in mid air. There were possibilities: take him one time before he sold him off to a buyer, keep him locked up in a dungeon , naked, for use? So many possiblities. And his hesitation meant he lost them all. He wasn't paying attention when West began swinging, in increasing arcs. Had he noticed, Midas could have sent another shock through the rod and immobilized him. He could have taken another swallow of the invisibility serum, and then did what he had done to West the first time: take him. West didn't have ultraviolet vision, and the invisibility had allowed Midas to take the bigger, stronger man.
But as the arcs got bigger, West was able to swing his way off that pole. He took out Midas' work table, and in the surprise, Midas didn't see West burn the ropes away in the Bunsen burner. The only way he had escaped, was by swallowing the very last of his invisibility serum. West recovered the diamonds - enough for at least 100 doses of the serum - and Midas barely got away.
Now, however, he had refined his method. It still worked on diamonds, for sure. But he could now convert gold into the serum as well. Since the process for extracting gold from the ore took so much electricity, no one thought twice when he built his laboratory, and had so much power going into it. No one questioned him for another reason: it was known that Morgan Midas paid 10% more for gold ore than anyone else in a 500 mile radius. And at night, after the lab was closed, one could see the burning light, as Midas went about converting the gold to serum. He knew it worked because, one day, after he had taken a dose, Gordon had shown up early , and Midas had forgotten he had taken the potion. The antiserum was very simple: just some wine would nullify it. He hurried to the back of the lab to his "office," and took a slug.
"Sorry Arty. I just got involved in some paperwork. I know. Dumb to leave the office opened with all the gold in here. " Arty laughed. "You know, Jim does protection work for the casinos. I could send him to take a look and scope out the place." "I'll think about it Arty. Thanks. It's good to know that there are resources." And he smiled.
About 400 miles away, Loveless was in his private car in his train, listening to his latest "girlfriend' on the piano. It hadn't been very difficult to convince the appellate judge to throw out the conviction. Times had been tough in the area, and Loveless' stash of stolen currency was more than sufficient. In fact, it had been easier to buy the judge off than he thought it would be. Freedom on one day, and then Morgan's telegram the second day. He knew where West was. EXCELLENT!
Loveless had changed his ambitions: they were bigger than they were before. His aim, now, was to bring the entire country to his feet. That would take some planning, to say the least. One item on his "list" , was an army of superstrong, superbrave soldiers, replaceable as they were killed, merciless, and totally under his control. That's where West came in. He smiled. Yes, West was only one man, but he was a man: that meant he had needs: and every time he satisfied his needs, how many millions of potential James Wests were in that pool of semen? His scientists had managed to develop a process which, while not perfect, could fertilize eggs of any kind, and develop them to adult size, in the space of about a year. He had seen some of the work - his engineer on the train was one of the first successful clones. "West as milk cow" he laughed. In the caboose of the train was his milking machine. A little stimulation, a little electricity, and every man he had tried it on, yielded way more than you would think a single act of ejaculation could. The thought of West chained down to that machine, the stimulator on his penis, and the semen pouring into his store of "seed." All of those thoughts were making Loveless, "excited."
"Jasmine. Enough with the music. I need you." "Yes Loveless." The woman playing the piano stopped, and came to him. She helped him from his chair, and then she closed the door.
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Artemus and Jim knew nothing about these machinations. Arty went to the lab every day, where his good humor and sparkling eyes helped to bring in even more business than Midas already had. The two of them had an advantage that other extractors did not have: Midas had a boyish kind of charm - he was only 26 when he had squared off against Arty and West - and if a younger man wasn't your type, the masculine charm and thick, muscular body of Artemus drew you in. Arty had a better sense of what attracted people than Jim did, so he worked in shirt sleeves, always rolled up, that showed off his muscular biceps and hairy forearms. Indeed, there were times when Midas looked at him and thought. "If I had to pick one: I don't know who it would be." Midas didn't plan to simply turn West over to Loveless. There would be a cost, and then also, since Loveless was only interested in what West could produce as milk, Midas would insist on having the "squatters' rights " to his ass. Seeing how attractive Artemus was , complicated that , but only a bit. He was still young. Fuck one of them in the morning, the other one at night? Seemed perfectly feasible, especially with all the research on "rejuvenation" that was going on.
He sent another telegram to Loveless. "Don't forget about Gordon. STOP. Wall to wall muscle. STOP. Doctorate in chemistry. STOP. When Loveless saw the telegram he smiled. His original plan had been to eliminate Gordon. But now... yes, if he pushed his scientists, they would have twice as much to work with. He telegrammed back.
"Arriving on Sunday. STOP. Meet me at the train." STOP . I'll show you the equipment."
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That Sunday, in fact, Jim and Arty had planned an outing. Neither one was all that much of a church goer, so they rode out to the mountains, where Jim knew a spot on the bank of a stream. They had packed food, and some brandy. And of course, Gordon was packing... his cock.
"Here we are Arty. I found this place a short while after I got here. Really turned out to be a good place to think, let go of the week. " He felt Arty's arms wrap around his middle.
"One thing I'm not letting go of. You." He planted a kiss on Jim's neck. Arty's bushy beard tickled, and a laugh escaped Jim.
"Stop that Arty," he squirmed, but Arty was strong. "You know what that's doing to me?"
Arty teased. "No Jim. Tell me." He slid his hand down to Jim's cock. "OH, wait a minute. I think I know. And I think I know how to make it grow.." He moved that tickling beard up to Jim's ear. He was right. Jim got even harder.
"Kiss me Arty. Please. I missed you so much. "
"I missed you too Jim. Just being around you. Hearing your voice. Inhaling your smell when you washed. Seeing that beautiful chest. OH, GOD. If you knew how many times I fell asleep dreaming of your chest." He shoved his tongue down Jim's throat.
"Play before lunch Arty, Sir?" "Damn right. Nude swim, and then...." They doffed their clothes and hit the water. It was cold, but not as cold as some they had dealt with. They were like two school boys who had snuck out of class for a day, swimming, dunking each other, and there were probably a few boys who had done what they did, as Arty pulled Jim into him, face to face. He walked out of the stream with Jim wrapped around him. From there, it was easy to just lay Jim down on the grass, and slide his cock into him. This time, he was gentle. Yes, the sense of conquest was there, but today, he felt a tenderness for Jim he didn't expect. He kissed his former and current partner as he plunged, deeper, into the handsome man's ass.
"OH GOD ARTY SIR. GEEZ. I have to try to not think about what I missed. OOOOOOH." Jim began to moan because Arty had taken Jim's cock in his hand, and began jerking him. Arty's smile when he was doing it told Jim all that he needed to know: Arty missed him too. And he wasn't going anywhere. He had claimed Jim, and Jim had given in. He sunk back on the grass, sighed, and then, seconds after Arty shot into him, Jim shot into the air.
They napped. Everyone had focused on Jim's chest, since he had been stripped so many times, but Arty's was broader, and hairier. Jim fell asleep on it, with Arty's hand in his hair, and a smile on Arty's face, as he slept.
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Loveless and Midas didn't need much time to do their planning. The trip across country had given Loveless the time to think it out. The train - purchased from the government of all things at surplus prices - was the train that West and Arty had used when they were working together. It was a simple matter to turn it into a working laboratory, so he didn't need much space. Midas did have extra space in the extracting lab if he needed it. They agreed they would put the plan into action immediately. They shook hands. The agreement was easy: Loveless would have their cocks, Midas would have their asses.
On Monday, toward the end of the day, as the customer pool began to slacken off, Arty left to go to the outhouse behind the plant. He left through a backdoor. When he did, Midas put up a sign "temporarily closed. Back in an hour." Arty wouldn't have seen that sign from the back, and had no idea of the plot. In the time Arty was relieving himself, Midas took a dose of the potion. When Arty came back, he looked around. "Hey , Morgan? Morgan? You here? Why's the door closed. OOOF" The invisible Midas had just connected with a shot to Gordon's jaw. "What the hell? What the hell was that? OOOF." This time it was an upper cut to Gordon's stomach, followed by a solid knee to his groin. "SHIT. WHAT THE HELL IS THIS? HEY . WHY THE HELL IS THE DOOR LOCKED?"
As he moved toward the door, Gordon felt a restraint go around his neck. He began to lose air. He gagged, and fought, but the restraint got tighter, and tighter, until he blacked out.
When he woke up, Arty was bound and gagged in a chair. As the haze left his eyes, he saw Midas in front of him, smiling. SHIT. Now he remembered. The diamonds. The invisibility drug. " "You woke up faster than I thought you would Gordon. Good thing I got you tied up fast." Gordon pushed at the ropes, and made no progress. In their heyday, he never armed himself the way Jim did, and now, since he was retired, he didn't arm himself at all. He was helpless. WHY THE HELL DIDNT HE RECOGNIZE MIDAS.
"The gag comes off for a while, if you behave. Deal?" Gordon shook his head yes. As soon as the gag came off, Gordon started. "MIDAS. You sneak. I should have seen it. How the hell did you? WAIT. OF COURSE. The reaction converting diamonds to the serum. Easy to move to gold. BRILLIANT. Devious, but brilliant." He squirmed against the ropes. "Now what the hell is this all about?
"Maybe I can fill that in for you, Mr. Gordon," Arty's eyes widened when he saw Loveless come out from the back. "Doctor Midas thought you looked familiar, but he wasn't sure. Then, when you brought West over, it made sense to him. " He smiled. "Dr Midas has had a plan for Mr. West for years. And now, he has a plan for both of you. As do I, Mr. Gordon. So for now, think of yourself as bait. And also a prize. West will come looking for you, and once we have you both.." The two villains looked at each other and smiled."
"YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS. YOU WON'T." Loveless and Midas looked at each other, grinning broadly. "Heard that before haven't you? "More than once." "Gag him again. Behind the curtain, and re-open the shop. If he struggles too much, a little sleep drug wouldn't hurt."
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Arty usually made it home by 4, maybe 5 if they were very busy at Midas' shop. As it drew toward 6:30, Jim began to fret. It wasn't far from the lab, so he'd take a walk over, see what was taking so long. He passed the railroad yard, and saw the train. "Hey, that looks familiar. YEAH. That was OUR train. " It choked Jim up a bit. There was a painted figure on the train that looked familiar, but not familiar enough that he recognized the stylized "L". "Guess the Feds sold it."
He got to the lab, and opened the door. Midas was behind the counter. "Mr. West. Good evening. Anything I can do for you? "Yeah, Dr Midas. Apologies for interrupting you, but Arty didn't make it home tonight. Any idea where he is?" "Indeed, I know EXACTLY where he is. " He pulled away the curtain, and there was Arty, helpless, trying desperately to scream something out. "HEY. WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HIM? " Then Jim felt a pair of strong arms take him in a bear hug. "WHO THE. WAIT. YOU'RE THE GOON WHO USED TO WORK FOR LOVELESS." "Indeed he is, Mr. West." Loveless walked into the room. "He could overpower you every time. You had to rely on your hidden knives and everything else. I'm willing to bet you don't have a one on you." "And even if you did, Mr. West.." Midas stepped behind Gordon, and brought a large knife to his throat. "I'd be done before you could do a thing. So, just relax Mr. West."
Jim huffed. "You win . " He relaxed. "Tie him up, Roscoe." Jim felt the big man roping his wrists, tight. "You boys will be spending the night where you spent it for years. Only under slightly different circumstances. Dr Midas, the injection, please." Midas handed Loveless a syringe, and he pushed it into Jim's neck. The drug took effect almost immediately, and Jim fell into a deep sleep. Midas went back and did the same to Gordon.
"The drug, at that dose, will last about four hours. Plenty of time to move them in the dark," Midas told Loveless. "PERFECT. The town will see you here every day, and the house, abandoned. " He turned to his lady friend. "Tomorrow you start asking about those two handsome men you saw leaving town." "Sure Doctor Loveless. Anything you say."
When Jim woke up, he found himself bound, securely, to a cold metal table. His legs were spread wide, and his wrists were secured above his head. He knew the table was cold, because he was naked. The train car was filled with medical instruments. "WHERE THE HELL AM I?" he called out. Dr. Loveless walked in, in his medical coat, a big smile on his face. "Think of it as a milk farm, Mr. West. And you, sir.." He stroked Jim's chest. "You are my prize steer." He cackled. Jim pushed against the restraints, but they were even tighter than the ones Arty used. "WHERE'S ARTY. WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?" He yelled. "In due course Mr. West. In due course."