All rights reserved. Other than downloading one copy for personal enjoyment, no part of this story may be reproduced or transmitted by any means, except for reviews, without the written permission of the author. As in real life, the sexual themes unfold gradually and are kept to a realistic level.
This story contains descriptions of consensual sexual contact between males, adult and minor. As such it is homoerotic, designed for the entertainment of mature adults. If you are not of legal age to read such material, or if the subject matter would create irresolvable personal moral dilemmas, please exit now.
Note: I would like to thank Matthew for his unwavering support and editing skills while I write this story. Matthew has been sharing his talents by posting another great story. Look in adult/youth for a story about Julian and Roman.
Comments welcome and encouraged: contact Dwight Wilson at adm2780@yahoo.com
Chapter One-hundred Ten: New Horizons
"Enrico, this has to be one of the craziest things I've ever heard of," Daniel declared, unsure what to think of what the boys had told him. "Have you ever heard of this protected society they're talking about?"
"Daniel, like a lot of other people, we hear rumors. I've never come into contact with anyone associated with it, or known anyone who did. Like I said, just rumors. I've always thought it was just some made-up myth."
"Other than declaring that these two boys with the collars are supposed to be princes or gods, what did they tell you?"
"The two boys with the collars won' t talk to us. The other two claim to be their attendants and protectors. After looking at the boys closely, I think they're two sets of twins. They all look enough alike that they might all be brothers; I don't know. The two that claim to be the attendants say they are the only ones here allowed to speak to the collared boys or even touch them. They said something about being impure and sacrificing. They also said that if a woman touched them, they must sacrifice themselves. The meaning of all that almost frightens me; I don't understand if that's the collared boys, the attendants, or all four of them."
Daniel understood what Enrico was saying, and agreed. The idea that any boy could consider himself impure, impure to the point of taking his life, was something he couldn't, or maybe didn't want to, comprehend.
"Enrico." Daniel's thoughts moved from understanding to protecting the boys. "Did they say where they came from?"
"They only said that they were taken against their will. Their master is a prominent businessman in their home country. When I asked more, the attendants merely said that it was forbidden to talk of their master." Enrico paused for a moment as though contemplating what to say.
"Daniel, I'm not sure how to say this, mainly because part of it's from what the boys said and part is instinct. I think these boys could be serious about sacrificing themselves. I suggest we keep a close watch on them."
"Do you think it has mainly to do with personal honor?" Enrico nodded. "Translate for me."
The two men returned to where the boys stood. Daniel didn't try to address the collared boys, but faced the attendants.
"I understand that you are not from here and were brought here against your will." Daniel paused while Enrico translated. "We are greatly concerned for your well being and want only to help you. To help you we need your assistance. We're worried that you may believe that there is some reason that you feel that you must bring harm to yourselves. I promise you that we will do our best to understand and respect your beliefs. In return, we ask that you try to understand and respect our beliefs. We believe that there is no reason to harm yourselves. We believe that this whole matter can be resolved and all of you can move forward with your lives. I am asking you to pledge, on your honor, not to harm yourselves and to give us the opportunity to resolve matters."
Daniel stood to the side while Enrico finished translating. While Enrico spoke to the boys, Daniel watched their expressions. The two collared boys were stoic, their expressions not revealing any emotions or thoughts. They weren't disrespectful, just unreadable. One of the collared boys spoke in a low tone to the attendants. The attendants then spoke to Enrico. Enrico then turned to Daniel.
"They thank you for the respect you have shown them and will show the same respect to you and honor your request. They cautioned that they can do this here, but should anyone try to remove them again, they would have to follow their beliefs. The attendants have asked for a few things so they can serve their masters."
Daniel was not pleased with the terms, the attendants viewing the collared boys as their masters. More concerned with the boys' safety, Daniel told Enrico to get a list of what was required and they would do their best to satisfy the boys' needs.
"One more item, Daniel. The lady with the television station should not approach any of them, nor should her cameraman."
Daniel nodded as he walked off.
Elizabeth had been standing off to the side watching as Daniel spoke with the boys. Daniel walked towards a point further away from the boys, nodding his head towards Elizabeth for her to follow.
"Daniel, did they say anything to you?" Elizabeth asked, and then added, "They acted as though they didn't understand a word I said to them."
"I think they understood. The problem is that, wherever they're from, it's evidently a taboo to interact with women. They've asked that neither you, nor your cameraman, approach them."
"Did they say why?"
"Not really. I can tell you that I made a deal with them that we would respect their values so long as they gave me their word of honor not to harm themselves."
"Harm themselves? How?"
"There was some talk about them sacrificing themselves. I'm not too happy with that kind of talk. I think it's best to honor their requests at the moment. Now all we have to do is figure out what's going on. How good are your international contacts?"
"Depends," Elizabeth replied. "Where and for what?"
"The boys claim they were kidnapped and then brought over here. They didn't tell us exactly where they're from, but my guess is South America. Their master down there is supposed to be a big businessman; that's all they would say."
"Let me make a few calls and see what we can find out."
Elizabeth headed towards her van to make the calls. Daniel walked towards the housing facility to see how far along they were on preparing accommodations for the boys. Inside, Daniel saw that the main hall was larger than the dorms at Ft. Ogden. An adjoining hall also adjoined the kitchen area and would serve as the dining hall. Looking around he found two smaller rooms that could be set up with cots. Mark was in one of the smaller rooms measuring the space for the number of cots it could accommodate.
"Mark, how many cots do you think this will hold?"
"Eight comfortably is my guess," Mark responded. "Do you want a special group in here?"
"Is there another space that'll hold you and the boys we brought?"
"There's two more rooms that should take four cots each and be comfortable. There are four or five smaller rooms down the hall with twin beds in them. Of course, some of the boys don't mind sleeping with the group; it might help. Overall, I think we have plenty of room. "
"I'm thinking mainly about you and Kevin; Jeff's coming in, too. Brad, Patrick and the others will probably have to stay with the new boys. Let's put the larger group in the main hall and count on our boys staying with them. Enrico, and the boys with him, can take this room. The other nine boys can stay in the smaller room."
"What about the undercover men?"
"I forgot about them. Guess we'll have to stack the cots somewhere if necessary. I know they'll want to be near their charges. Once all the cots are set up, we can make a final determination of who goes where."
"Think you can do anything to help those boys?" Mark asked.
"I'm going to try and do something to help all of them. First thing I have to do is get some history on them. In the meantime, I have a suggestion. Why don't you bring those boys in here and let them help set up the cots? You'll finish faster and it will help keep them occupied."
Mark held up a finger indicating 'good idea' to Daniel as he left to gather some workers. As Daniel watched Mark leave, he heard a helicopter approaching and knew it must be Jeff and the boys.
The copter landed out near the road, well away from where the boys were gathered. Jeff stepped out, followed by the boys. Alex and Sean walked together, with Sean holding on to Danny's hand. When Danny spotted Daniel, Sean quickly realized he wasn't holding Danny's hand as tight as he should have.
"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!" Danny screamed as he ran across the yard to Daniel. Just before he reached Daniel, Danny jumped, knowing he would be caught.
"Little man, you get much bigger I won't be able to catch you when you jump like that."
Danny looked at Daniel and smiled, knowing Daniel would never not catch him. Daniel held the boy close as Danny wrapped his arms around Daniel's neck for a big hug.
"We got here in that," Danny declared, pointing to the copter.
"Did you like riding in the helicopter?"
"Yeah, we was up real high and could see waaay out. Sean said we was flyin' over houses just like Santa Claus."
"Well, I guess Sean should know, shouldn't he?"
"Yeah, he knows a lot and teaches me." Danny's attention quickly focused on the new boys. "Who's them boys?"
"Those are some of the boys that were supposed to come live with us. They didn't make it with the other boys so we had to come find 'em."
"Were they bad? That why they didn't come?" Danny asked as he pulled at his shorts.
"No. I think someone just forgot to tell them. Mr. Mark's inside setting up beds for them right now. We're gonna stay here for a coupla days until we get all their pictures and the doctor says it's okay to take them home with us." Daniel noticed Danny pulling at his clothes. "Do you need to go to the bathroom?" Danny shook his head and looked at Daniel.
"It itches. I don't like 'em."
Daniel smiled and began removing the boy's clothes. Danny, being very ticklish like most six year olds, giggled and pushed away from Daniel so his shorts could be removed. Danny didn't need any prompting to raise his hands up so the t-shirt could come off. Once naked, he reached down and pulled off his sandals, letting them fall to the ground.
Daniel tickled the boy's side causing him to scream in delight. He then held Danny up and gave him a raspberry on his belly. Danny shrieked with delight. The new boys watched intently at the interaction between the man who wanted to help them and the little boy.
"Daniel," Elizabeth called out as she approached from the side. "Hey, Danny. How's my favorite boy?" She asked as she stuck a finger in his side to tickle him and then turned her attention to Daniel. "The office downtown thinks they may have information on the boys we discussed. They said it was a hot story and then someone high up put the lid on it. I have to go in and do some research. I did ask them not to use all those pictures we sent in. Anything I can do before I leave?"
"I don't think . . . .yes, there is. On the way in I spotted one of the discount stores down the road. Think you could go by there and get us a couple of soccer balls and a volleyball set? These boys need exercise and something to keep them busy."
Elizabeth returned with the soccer balls and two volleyball sets. It didn't take long for the boys to find an appropriate place to set up the volleyball games and designate an area for the soccer games. Brad, Patrick, Kevin and Richard were dividing the boys into teams. The younger boys were separated to form two teams that would include Sean and Alex. Danny and Kyle also were on those teams. The rest of the boys divided into teams for some serious competition. The two undercover policemen acted as referees for the soccer games. Brad, Patrick and Richard helped supervise the other games.
"Enrico, why aren't your boys joining the teams?" Daniel asked.
Enrico asked the boys if they would like to play and the two boys from Cuba immediately responded. The two attendant boys turned to look at their masters who nodded their consent but didn't join themselves.
"Daniel, we have one problem," Eddie, one of the policemen approached Daniel. "With all of them naked it's kind of hard to tell who's on what team. We usually set the teams up as shirts and skins, but here . . . . "
"Kevin," Daniel called out and motioned Kevin over. "Tell those men unloading supplies that if they have an old sheet they can spare, we'd like to have it. Cut it into strips and then have the boys on one team tie a strip around each bicep."
Daniel looked around at all the boys and realized all of the boys from New Horizons had managed to shed their clothes and blended in with the other boys, just as he had hoped.
Jeff located an office with a desk and a couple of chairs. There weren't any additional office supplies, but in a computer age not much else was needed. Jeff told Daniel where the room was and the two men adjourned there after supper.
"That was a good idea you had getting the boys involved in games," Jeff commented.
"Well, those boys had been through enough today and there was way too much tension in the air. I thought if we could get them to concentrate on something else and run off some of that tension, it would be easier on all of us."
"I'd say they ran off more than just a little tension as tired as they are now. Of course, I doubt many of them have had the opportunity to exercise on a regular basis. We'll have to work with them to make sure they get into shape. Danny provided some distractions of his own, too."
"Danny has a way of making his presence known. Chase after him for a while and you'd be worn out. Maybe one day we'll be able to convince him to kick the ball, not just pick it up and run off," Daniel commented with a smile, and then became more serious.
"Jeff, how did the boys handle supper? Any of them get sick or have any other after effects?"
"Not that I know of. It was just chicken noodle soup and saltines. Michael said their systems should handle it. He's emailed me a diet for them for the next few days. From the looks of it I'd guess that these boys will have all the soup they want for a lifetime. Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow is chicken noodle soup. He did add Jello to that for dessert." Jeff frowned as he read the bland diet.
"Are Brad, Patrick and Kevin organizing the boys' bedding assignments?"
"Yeah, they've divided it up mostly by age. Our boys will mix with them and if things work as normal, there will probably be a lot of talk and not much sleep tonight."
"Good," Daniel responded as his cell phone rang and he reached for it.
"Daniel."
"Dad, this is a surprise. Is everything okay up there?"
"I was going to ask you if everything was okay down there. Listening to the news, you guys busted up an international slave smuggling ring and then messed up something involving the mafia. Knowing how the news media likes to report things, I thought I might call and see what was really going on."
"What's it like at this New Horizons place?" One of the boys asked.
Sean and Kyle were sitting on the floor with the group they had been assigned to. Danny was curled up lying on the floor with his head in Sean's lap. As Daniel had hoped, the boys they had rescued were curious about the place they had been told they would go. Daniel also knew the new boys were more likely to open up to boys their own age rather than an adult.
"It's big and there's a lot of us," Sean answered.
"Yeah, Mr. Mark said there's over a hundred of us now," Kyle added.
"Which one's Mr. Mark," a boy asked as he looked around.
Sean spotted Mark and pointed him out to the boys.
"He's kinda young."
"Yeah, he's kinda one of us, too. He told us he got in a lotta trouble when he was in high school and college doin' dumb stuff like pourin' laundry soap in the town fountain and all. The cops caught 'im and between that and he was drunk, he got arrested. He said when Mr. Daniel found 'im, they'd already said he was gonna be a slave for life. Somehow, Mr. Dan'l got somebody to let Mr. Mark stay with him and he helps us now." Sean completed his story of Mark.
"Well, what d'ya'll do at this place?"
"It's where we live. We eat, sleep, play, have school and . . ."
"You said outside that ya'll go naked all the time. How d'ya go to school?"
"We're what they call home schooled. But we have some professors and teachers that have classes for us too."
"Do ya hafta work like we did?"
"You mean havin' sex with people?" Sean asked. The boys nodded.
"Uh-uh. That's what Mr. Dan'l saved us from. The guys there do have sex, but it's not like what you guys had ta do. A lotta the guys were on the street and had ta have sex for money. Plus, Mr. Dan'l says he knows that when boys get ta be a certain age, it's gonna happen. Instead of sayin' no sex, he set up some rules. The rules are that no adult can touch a boy, no adult or big boy can touch a little boy. Plus, nobody can make anybody do anything like that they don't want to."
"What are you guys, big boys or little boys?" One of the guys piped in causing a little laughter.
"We're neither, we're in between. 'Course, if it was up ta my brother, he'd say I was a little guy. But I'm an in between boy. That means I can fool around but I'm not supposed to let nobody have my cherry. My brother said if anybody tries ta take it, he'll break their neck; Patrick too."
"Well, if ya don't hafta work and have sex with nobody, how come he makes ya run around naked like a slave?" A boy interrupted with a sarcastic tone, inferring that Sean was lying.
"Mr. Dan'l don't make us go around naked. We do it 'cause we want to. Father Andrew says it's okay 'cause we're God's creatures and he wouldn't make anything that wasn't beautiful."
"No way! You sayin' you got a priest there and go naked around him and he says it's okay?" Another boy asked, sounding astounded.
"Yes way!" Sean answered. "Well, he's not there all the time, just a coupla times a month. He comes special if Mr. Dan'l asked 'im to when we get a bunch of new guys. He's really kinda cool."
"And he don't say it's bad for ya ta run around naked all the time?"
"No," Kyle responded quickly. "He told us that it's only bad when whoever's lookin' at us has a evil mind. Besides, his church is in a nudist colony so he's used to it."
A few of the boys laughed. All of the boys looked at one another. They had never heard of a priest in a nudist colony.
"What happens if somebody does somethin' bad? They get whipped?" One of the boys asked.
"Not like you're thinkin' 'bout," Kyle answered. "When Mr. Dan'l got us at that holdin' place they had a cross set up for whippin' us. He made 'em take it down. But you do somethin' wrong, you'll still get punished like havin' ta do extra KP or write a paper or if it's real bad, like Brad and Patrick done, then you gotta face the board and might get paddled."
"What'd they do?"
"Fightin'," Sean said without explaining as he elbowed Kyle.
"Hey, Sean," Brad called out.
"That's my brother, Brad," Sean told the boys. He then added as Brad drew close, "He's like a lotta big brothers, thinks he can boss me around. A real pain in the neck."
"Well, that's because little brothers can be a real pain somewhere else," Brad added as he reached down and grabbed the top of Sean's shoulders and squeezed them. Sean hollered out in mock pain and laughter.
"Okay, guys, it's time to hit the showers. We still have two more groups so ya gotta hurry."
"Why?" Sean asked, teasing. "You and Patrick take lots of time."
"Brat! Move it." Brad said as he reached for his brother.
Sean couldn't move because Danny was in his lap, leaning back against the older boy's torso, sleeping.
"Ooops, didn't see Danny. Looks like he needs ta get cleaned up too."
Brad lifted Danny out of Sean's lap so Sean could stand. Danny quickly melted into Brad's shoulder, wanting to go back to sleep.
"Sean," Danny whined, "I'm tired."
"It's okay, Danny. We're just gonna get ya cleaned up and then you can go to bed."
"Noooooooo," Danny complained, "I'm tiiiiired."
"I knew that Elizabeth was down there with you and called her," Dr. Thompson continued. "She told me about the boys that didn't speak English. Now, I can't say that I'm surprised about the two boys from Cuba. She said that you suspected the boys' families may be gone now, and I'm sure you'll see that they're cared for. It's the twins that I find really intriguing."
"Dad, those twins, assuming they are twins, are intriguing to all of us. Did Elizabeth tell you about their attendants?"
"Yes, she did. She also said she thinks they're twins."
"I'm thinking the same thing," Daniel responded. "We have someone here that's supervising the boys and acting as translator. What really intrigues me is the attendants look to the other twins as masters and then all four of them refer to their master. I can't say that I've heard of such a thing. Any ideas?"
"Maybe," Dr. Thomspon responded as Daniel chuckled. "What's so funny?"
"Dad, I know you well enough to know that this isn't a purely social call. I do appreciate anything you can give me that will shed light on this matter."
"Elizabeth said the boys are wearing gold collars with a symbol. Can you send me a picture of that symbol? With that I can do some research."
"I understand the research part, Dad. What are you researching?"
"Back in the thirties, a professor and explorer that specialized in ancient civilizations published a paper in which he set forth what many considered to be an almost ludicrous theory regarding the Aztec and Mayan civilizations. I believe his name was O'Donnell. For the sake of our conversation that's how we'll refer to him. Remember your history, Daniel. The Aztecs occupied an area stretching from today's central Mexico down to the area we call the Yucatan in Central America. The Mayan Empire was centralized in the northern areas of South American and extended slightly up into Central America, just south of the Aztecs.
"Two great civilizations that were believed wiped out by the Spanish. O'Donnell argued that the civilizations were not eradicated, but a small group of each fled into the jungles and survived. He further argued that the two groups merged in order to survive. Everyone thought he was a little far out and his arguments received little acceptance. Every once in a while the argument re-emerges. The reason O'Donnell didn't get credibility was that he couldn't point to one person that belonged to the surviving group."
"You mean to say that he argued that the group or groups survived to this day?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying, Daniel. If they did, then the symbol on those collars would tie into some of the old Aztec or Mayan symbols. If that happens, then I think there will need to be more investigative work, much more.
"Something else, Daniel. According to O'Donnell, and this is supported by other research, the civilizations believed that twins were touched by the gods. Twins received a very high position in society and religion. Now, if all this turns out to be true, or if only a portion of it does, the twins may be what O'Donnell called tzoupax.
"Believe me when I say it's all more than just a little complicated. But if it's true, you have the social and political find of the century on your hands."
"Dad, let me see what I can do about getting you those pictures and we'll just start from there. Okay?"
Daniel ended the call with his dad. Placing his first two fingers to his temple and rolling them around, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Daniel?" Jeff was concerned. "Is everything okay?"
Daniel looked at his friend and associate and smiled.
"Jeff, we have fifty-eight boys here. Thirty-two are part of the boys that should have been surrendered, but weren't. Nine are criminally enslaved because as far as I can tell they tried selling their bodies to survive or stole food to eat. Six don't speak English and may or may not be falsely enslaved, and the balance civilly enslaved for as yet undetermined reasons. Add to that, that Thanksgiving is on top of us and most likely we will not be with the boys in Ft. Ogden or Orlando with the Cherubs. Now, Dad calls and informs me that we may have in our midst members of two civilizations long believed extinct." Daniel took another deep breath and continued.
"Right now, there's only one thing I need. Would you happen to have any aspirin handy?"
End Ch 110 To be continued
Comments welcome: contact Dwight Wilson at adm2780@yahoo.com